


King of Conquerors: The Rise of a King

by XianKar



Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night - All Media Types, ロード・エルメロイⅡ世の事件簿 - 三田誠 | Lord El-Melloi II Case Files - Sanda Makoto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Ancient Greece, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Ancient Greece, Ancient History, Backstory, Boys' Love, Bromance, Bromance to Romance, Brotp, Drama, During Canon, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Historical, Historical Fantasy, Historical References, Humor, Ionian Herairoi, Love, M/M, Magic, Multi, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Original Character(s), Political Alliances, Post-Canon, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2019-10-26 03:16:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17737967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XianKar/pseuds/XianKar
Summary: Two years after the 4th Grail War, Waver Velvet makes a discovery that can change the course of history. His reunion with Rider doesn't go as expected. Instead of the King of Conquerors Heroic Spirit, he meets with an inexperienced young prince Alexander.Ancient Greece AU side story, before Lord El-Melloi II events- "Interactive story": you choose the ending!-





	1. The Summoning

 

The clock struck twelve and the tower vibrated to the sound of the bells. The hallway was slowly crowded with student's voices, echoing down the stairway. It was lunch time at the Clock Tower.

In the west wing, a young lecturer was finishing his class.

"If you have any questions you are welcome to discuss them with me after lunch. I will be available at the library between two and three this afternoon".

He erased the board leaving it ready for the next class. The words " _History of Magic_ " faded one by one, as the first-year students closed their books and put away their notes. All except for one.

"Mr. Velvet", a young girl raised her hand.

"Yes, Emily, I've told you before, just call me Waver. I'm only a tutor and I'm almost your same age."

Waver Velvet put his books back in his bag and walked towards the door. The girl rushed to chase him dropping some papers on her way, and quickly picking them up with clumsiness. Waver helped her.

"Excuse me, mist-, I mean, Waver?", she asked while collecting her notes from the floor. "I was just wondering if you needed some help with the experiment you are working on"

"I am OK for now, Emily, thank you. I will let you know if I need any help. I'll come to you first", he said as he helped her up.

He walked out of the classroom, she followed.

"Umm…I am just curious. There are rumors. Rumors about you working with some sort of…dark magic."

Some eyes turned to them as she said these words. Waver did not seem surprised.

"But…of course I don't believe those rumors! Not from you! I mean, you are such an example to people like me."

Waver sighed and turned to her.

"Then why are you asking me these questions?"

"I-I didn't mean to! I'm sorry. I will never doubt you! I believe in you."

 _It's not like I care if she does_ , Waver thought

One of the girls overhearing their conversation in the hallway approached him.

"Hey Velvet", she stood in front of him, blocking his way, arms crossed against her chest. "I've heard you are falling behind in your thesis. You better work on it, or our reputation as Student Council members will be affected negatively."

" _Yes, president_ , whatever you say", he said ironically, taking out a cigarette from his pocket. With a simple spell he made a small flame to light it up.

"And what's with this new habit of yours? Smoking is bad for your health, you know? Also, don't you think you need a hair cut?" She grabbed a lock of his thick, black hair and pulled it up, then slowly let it slip through her fingers until it fell again over his shoulders. "What's gotten into you lately?"

Waver took a big puff from his cigarette.

"I don't know what it is about these things," he examined his cigarette, "but it helps me reduce the anxiety through the long nights of study. And my hair is perfectly fine, I like it this way better. I'm planning on growing it longer, actually." A massive cloud of smoke came out of his mouth as he spoke.

"Geez…at least do it outside of the tower. You are supposed to set the example." The girl fanned away the smoke with her hand. Then took the cigarette away from him and put it out.

"I don't know you are up to with this new attitude of yours, Velvet, but I don't like it. I never particularly liked you before, but now I certainly don't. You may be popular with the first-year students, and you may be most professors' favorite, but I will never approve of you. Or any of…", she paused to scan Waver's pupil from her feet to her head before she continued. "…your kind."

She gave Waver one last look of disapproval, turned around and walked away from them.

"What does she mean?" Asked Emily

"She comes from a well-known family of mages, so she naturally thinks of all other mages as mediocre, and therefore, unworthy of the Mage's Association"

"That is just stupid. I can't believe nowadays there's people who still think like that. She is not even top of her class. If family names mattered, then she would be a top student. That is just plain nonsense," she stomped her feet with anger, "if it wasn't for you and your initiative on the reform of the Mage's Association's policies, people like me would have never made it here."

"She is just childish. She is the stereotype of the rich girl, powerful family, unhappy life, parent issues, or whatever it is that makes her life miserable. You know how it goes."

Emily chuckled at his comment

"But she is actually not a bad person," Waver continued. "So, please don't mind her. Now back to a more important matter… I'm heading to the cafeteria to get some food. You are welcome to join me if you want"

"Absolutely!"

The afternoon ran smoothly. Waver left the tower at 5, with the intention of working on his thesis. He hated to admit it, but the President of the council was right. He couldn't put it off anymore, he needed to show results in order to graduate, and he was running out of time. He was thinking about this on his way home, when he heard an unusual sound. The sound of horseshoes hitting the pavement with fury, running faster and faster towards him.

_A horse in the downtown of London? Could it be…?_

He turned, and his eyes were filled with disappointment right away. A carriage passed by, carrying a couple of newly weds. They waved at him. He waved back. He sighed and continued walking.

By the time Waver got home it was dark already. He turned the lights on. His apartment was clean and tidy. And dull and empty and lonely, as usual.

Two years had passed since the fourth Holy Grail war. Although he was used to being by himself, he oddly enjoyed living with the old married couple who took him in as their grandson back in Japan. To think that he used to be annoyed by all that noise and distractions at the beginning, and now there he was, missing them.

"I should write to them _,"_  he thought out loud, placing his bag on the table and checking the mail, which was all bills, "It's been almost a month since I last did."

He went to his room. Everything was in the exact same spot as he left it that morning. He undressed and decided to leave his clothes wherever they landed on the floor. When he was removing his pants, they got stuck in the edge of the bed. He kept pulling them, harder and harder until they ripped, making him fall on his back with the same strength he was pulling. He hit the wardrobe, it wobbled and fell. He had to roll to the side to dodge it. The wardrobe's doors opened wide against the floor, and the clothes spread all around the floor.

"For fuck's sake!" Waver yelled as he hit the floor with his fist, immediately regretting it.

"Ouch!" he complained, rolling to his side and rubbing his sore hand. He finally got up, and stared at the mess on the floor for a few minutes before he made up his mind to clean it up.

One by one he picked up the clothes and folded them, separating them in piles. Sweaters, pants, shirts and finally T-shirts.

"This is…"

He held a white T-shirt with a brownish world map design, and the Japanese characters for "admirable" on it. Waver's eyes became watery.

"That idiot…why did he even leave this with my stuff", he said as he threw it on his bed. He sat there and stared at it. After hesitating for a brief moment, he put the T-shirt on.

He looked into the mirror and checked himself out from different angles. Surprisingly, it was not as loose as he thought it would be. In fact, he almost liked how he looked in it. He made a fist to pop out his biceps, but his arm barely grew a few millimeters. He suddenly remembered how that T-shirt stretched over its original owner's thick muscles, and he felt stupid. He took it off and left it on the floor under his bed.

"Whatever…" he said to himself, and left the room to take a shower.

It was nearly midnight. Countless books, research notes, and a cup of coffee sitting on Waver's desk for hours. A cigarette was left to consume itself next to the other cigarette butts in the ashtray, while Waver rested his forehead on the desk. Unable to think, unable to sleep. His back was sore from sitting in the same position. He only moved when his alarm went off. He looked for it in between his papers. Gems and other artifacts fell from the desk as he did, leaving a mess on the floor.

_11.45 already!_

He set off the alarm.

 _Oh no, I'm supposed to crack this out before 2 am when my powers are stronger._ He thought, staring at his clock with concern.

He opened his laptop, and a document popped up with the title  _"Theories of modern magic: time magic and it's uses"_

He held his head between his hands and thought:  _this is worth nothing if I don't have empiric evidence! I need proof. I need to finish this experiment..._

He gave himself a little slap on his cheeks, determined to carry on with his work. He looked through his books and read the tittles and introductions:

" _Time Traveling: a true story"_

" _Hidden Mysteries: The Science Behind"_

" _The Enigma of Time"_

Waver put the books away, disappointed.

 _All of this crap is just mystical, unproved bullshit! None of this is serious._  He thought.

The next title was  _"Magic and War"._  He checked the index and stopped his finger at " _Time magic"._  He read the introduction, and the basic spells for altering time. It somehow seemed familiar to him, and he realized this was the kind of magic Emiya Kiritsugu used during the Grail War.

He finished the chapter and closed the book, frowning at its cover.

 _This is some dangerous business_ , the thought, _I don't want to make a war weapon. I must be careful, I don't want this to end up in the wrong hands._

He moved to the next one.

" _Crafting Magical Artifacts: A Guide to Magecraft"_

He made some progress with this one. Although nothing new, it was practical for his experiment. He gathered some materials and organized them. Then took another look at the clock. It was already 12:45. He decided to take a 5 minutes break for coffee.

He grabbed his cup from the desk and dropped a book. It landed opened facing up on the floor.

" _Alchemy of Time",_ he read the title of the chapter.

He put his cup down and picked up the book. It called his attention that it was written in ancient Greek -he felt particularly confident and proud about his ancient Greek after two years of studying thoroughly, and was always looking for an opportunity to give it some use-

He sat on the floor and read the introduction of the book. There was a note from the translator

" _This manuscript is one of the oldest written records of alchemy, originally written in Farsi in 290 BC, and translated into Greek. It has been brought into the western cultures during the times of Alexander the Great."_

Than name echoed in Waver's head. It was still hard to believe he got to know such a historical and famous figure. He could not believe it himself sometimes. He had read hundreds of books about Alexander the Great, yet he still felt like the person from the books was someone else.

He turned a couple of pages and observed the images. Symbols of eyes everywhere. The transmutation circles present throughout the book.

" _The all-seeing-eye, the eye of Buddha, the 108 Snail Martyrs, Hamsa, The eye of Fatimah, The hand of Miriam, The eye of Horus"_

He read out loud as he turned the pages and wondered how so many cultures from different eras and places could share the same symbols. Then something occurred to him.

_Wait, how could they possibly know all of this back then?_

He turned to the next page and observed in astonishment the image of what seemed like a priest in a black, hooded cloak, holding some sort of relic with the shape of an hourglass, and an eye in the middle. On his left side, a landscape with creatures and plants of Jurassic scale. On his right, a scenery where infinite buildings raised resembling the ones of modern cities.

"This can't be. It's impossible!", he said as he went back to the beginning check the date of the book. The "290 BC" was still there.

_This is wrong. The date is wrong. This must be a joke_

He left the book on the desk and went on his computer. He googled the title, and compared multiple results, all of them matching:

"… _Most copies where lost after the destruction of the Library of Alexandria. There are currently two known copies left of this manuscript. The original, which remains under the protection of the Estate of Iran, and a Greek translation, which is said to be hidden somewhere in the British Museum."_

Everything pointed to the same thing: he was in possession of this ancient lost manuscript, which was hiding in the library of the Clock Tower in London this hole time.

Once he realized this, he freaked out and closed his computer abruptly. He remained seated there staring at the book for a few minutes, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. He tried to remember where he found the book, and wondered why nobody had reviewed such an important thing before. He recalled the "mystical" section, the most unpopular between young mages nowadays. Nobody would have taken the book seriously.

He hesitated for another moment. He had no evidence for his hypothesis. He wanted to create an artifact to prove that time could be altered with magic. He was running out of time, and this might have been his only shot.

He took a deep breath, opened the book, and begun to gather the materials for the experiment.

 _It's now or never,_  he thought as he drew a circle on the floor, followed by multiple symbols. The last one was an eye in the middle, where he placed different kinds of magical gems.

He read the instructions one more time, just to make sure he was not missing anything.

 _This should be enough…,_ he thought, and looked at the clock one more time.

"01:54"

He took another deep breath and recited an enchantment.

The air in the room begun to spin around him, faster with every second. Red lightnings emanated erratically from the circle. The shape of an eye begun to materialize in the middle.

Then all of a sudden the wind became weaker. The sparks vanished in a second, and the lines on the floor begun to fade.

"no…no, no, no!" Waver yelled "I did everything it said! Everything! Where did I go wrong?"

He turned to the book which was still opened on his desk, and quickly went through the steps again.

"…a powerful catalyst". He read out loud, then turned to the gems in the middle. They had all merged into one big, solid crystal.

"It's not enough…"

Determined, he picked a knife, and made a deep cut in the palm of his hand. The blood burst immediately out of his skin.

_Even if my magical circuit is week, even if I don't come from a big family of mages, I need to try…_

He flipped his palm facing down. The blood poured onto the center of the circle, completely covering the crystal in the middle.

The wind raised again. This time fiercely. The whole room swirled around the circle, and a magnetic force dragged Waver to the floor in the middle. He felt like he was being pulled from every limb in different directions, like he was going to rip at any time. He yelled but the wind was so loud he could not hear his own voice. He tried to move but the magnetic force immobilized him. The force begun to tear his skin apart.

All Waver could pray for in that moment was to pass out of pain before he died.

He opened his eyes, with trouble, and faced the bed. The white t-shirt was still under it.

"Rider…", he whispered

A sudden fear took over him. He panicked. His tears were immediately carried away by the strong gust every time they came out of his eyes. He could no longer keep them opened. The pain slowly begun to fade, and his body became numb.

"I don't want to die", he cried, "Rider…please, I don't want to die. I'm scared. Rider…"


	2. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waver wakes up in an unknown place. He tries to find his way back home, but faces one big obstacle.

 

Waver woke up to the murmur of a crowd. Still unable to open his eyes, he lied there for a couple of minutes, and felt the sunlight on his eyelids. The heat hit him like a slap on the face, but at least he could now feel his body. He tried to open his eyes, but the sun was blinding. He moved his fingers, then his toes. His neck, legs and arms, one by one, and tried to remember the feeling from a moment before.

He was able to keep one eye partly opened, observing his own hands. Once he was finally able to seat up, he patted his body all around, making sure everything was in its right place. He checked for any mark in his body, anything in his pockets or somewhere near around him that could indicate he had succeeded in his experiment. There was no trace of such thing. Only a single red gem was left in his pocket. Nothing else.

He then recalled being pulled by a magnetic force, and clearly remembered how his body was dismantled, or so he felt. There was no magical artifact in his possession, but he was not in his room anymore. That only lead to one conclusion: he had traveled in time.

“Oh God!”

He hyperventilated.

He looked around him. Men and women wandering around in haste. Some of them carried swords and weapons, others carried silk and goods. Numerous wagons made their way through the cobblestone streets, which converged all into a gate. A wall raised at the distance, almost as tall as the sky.

A refreshing breeze blew Waver’s hair. He got up and examined the place carefully.

 _“I never thought London had such a lively vibe in the past_ ”, he observed, _“it seems like the sun actually existed in these lands before.”_

He followed the crowd into the market, pleased yet surprised _“I was expecting to see endless green fields and barbarians roasting rabbits on a fire-pit”_

The folks carried heavy sacks from one side to the other and loaded the wagons. They wore long, earth-colored tunics, wrapped around their shoulders and waists. A man was trying to cut through, pushing Waver aside and whispering a curse in a language that he did not recognize right away. But it certainly wasn’t English. Nor Celtic, Welsh, Gaelic or anything like that.

 “Wait…is this place…?”

He ran in circles, desperately looking for the Thames river, almost certain he wouldn’t find it.

He tried to overhear some people’s conversation to find out which language they spoke, and suddenly realized it.

“Ancient Greece?! But…how is that possible? This cannot be! Time travel is precise and can only move time back and forward, not physical objects or beings! Something must have gone wrong”

He instinctively looked for his notes or books, but then remembered he had nothing with him, except his clothes. This was another issue: he was starting to stand out from the rest of the town folks. They were noticing something different about him already, pointing at him and making comments.

But Waver was too exited to care about his clothes or his looks at that moment. He rushed to the city gates, scared yet exited, impatient to see the rest of it. Massive marble statues decorated both sides of the gates. Golden details shinning all over them under the sunlight, giving the city a golden gleam.

The view was so stunning that Waver could not look away, not for one second, not even while running.

 “Hey! wAtch ou-!” A stranger’s voice came right towards him. Waver took a second to process these words in ancient Greek, but it was too late. Their bodies clashed.

The hit was so hard that it brought both of them to the ground. A few seconds passed before they moved.

“What an idiot”. The stranger struggled to push him away, since Waver had all his weight on top of him.

Waver looked down at him, and his eyes met with the face of a young man. Fierce eyes, thick, auburn eyebrows scowling at him.

“Are you going to sit there and stare all day?" The stranger asked, annoyed. "Can’t you talk?”

“Oh! Sorry! I’m so sorry!” Waver quickly got up and offered his hand to help him up.

The boy ignored the gesture, and got up in one single, agile movement.

“What were you thinking? Running like that without looking where you are going…Nobody can be that dumb”

He scanned Waver with his eyes for a moment and examined his face closely.

“Although your face does look a bit… let’s say, not the epitome of cleverness”

“Oi, who do you think you are?!”

“No but seriously, what’s with those strange clothes? And that…hair?”

Waver’s eyes went from the boy to his own clothes, then back to the boy. His black shirt and matching dress pants contrasted with the boy’s grey, hooded cloak, falling all the way down to his sandals.

“You must be a foreigner" The boy asked, genuinely interested, "where are you from?” 

“That’s…. That’s none of your business.” Waver turned and walked away.

“Bumping into somebody and then walking away from them? That is rude.” The boy followed him.

“I already apologized”, Waver said, without turning to him or stopping. “Besides, you are not the precise definition of politeness either, _kid_.” He empathized that last word just to annoy him, hoping he would finally go away. He did not.

Waver turned left into an alley and accelerated his pace, with the hope he would lose him.

“Kid, you say? I’m not a kid. I look younger than I am. I’m probably your age. Show some respect”

“Just drop it. What a stubborn kid.”

“Hey, take that back!”

“I’m not into picking up fights with kids”

“I said, take that back. I’ll give you one more chance…”

Waver suddenly stopped.

The boy did so too, smiling with the satisfaction seeing his pride mended. 

“So, you can be reasonable after all, foreigner. I accept your apology.”

“Shhh” Hushed him Waver, taking a few steps back. He blocked the boy’s way with his arm. “Stay behind me”, he ordered him.

The boy could see a group of six men standing in front of them, heavily armed. The gang walked towards them.

“You. The one with the funny hair, we want your clothes. And all your belongings,”

The boy stepped forward, gently pushing Waver away.

“Please, leave us." He said, calm but serious. "Leave now and no one will be harmed”

There was a moment of silence, followed by a burst of hysteric laughter.

“Stay out of this, kid.” Waver grabbed the boy’s shoulder. By all means, he wanted to avoid using magic in front of someone, but it seemed he had no other option. He was outnumbered.

The men stepped forward. So did the boy, followed by Waver, who’s hand was ready to summon an enchantment at any time.

The tallest of the bandits was the first to strike, swinging his ax at the boy.

“Kid, move!”

But the boy stopped the ax by its handle in a single movement, without moving from his place.

“For the last time…I am not a kid!” He yelled as he lifted the man in the air. “And I have a name!”

The boy removed his cloak. A thin auburn braid fell over his shoulder. In spite of his short height, under that cloak hid the body of a well-trained young man. A black leather armor covered his upper body, emulating his abdominal muscles. A matching black pair of greaves protected his legs up to his knees. There was no doubt he was an experienced warrior.

The five remaining men charged all at once. With a simple dagger, the boy fended from all their attacks, and one by one the men fell on the ground with a single blow of his dagger. Waver observed the scene, surprised by the young man’s strength and agility. As the men lied unconscious on the ground, Waver concluded this could only mean that, given the boy’s skill, he was just choosing not to kill them.

 _“He can’t be a bad person”,_   Waver thought with ease.

Alexander turned to him, with a satisfaction smirk. His face showed pride, yet there was no sign of arrogance, nothing else than the satisfaction of being able to protect someone. Waver thought that was the most noble expression he had ever seen.

The boy offered his hand

“My name is Alexandros”

“I’m Waver. Waver Velvet.” He reached for his hand.

Just before they could shake hands, Alexandros was shot with an arrow in the middle of his chest. The blood instantly burst from Alexandros mouth onto Waver’s still extended arm. Horrified, it took two seconds for Waver to move out of his shock and search for the offender. The tall man who was knocked out a few minutes ago was now on his feet holding a bow. Alexandros collapsed on the floor at Waver’s feet

“You are next.” The man grinned malevolently.

It was that smile that triggered Waver’s wrath. He recited an enchantment, and his troubled, infuriated breath gave more life to his words. One of the spears from the floor floated in mid air and landed in the middle of the man’s stomach, causing him an instant death.

“You…” whispered Alexandros from the ground, panting, “…you have…m-magic.”

A puddle of blood formed around his body, his eyes barely opened.

Waver rushed to help him, but there was little he could do. He didn’t have any of his materials or spell books. He desperately looked in his pockets, and suddenly remembered the only gem he had left. He placed it on Alexandros' chest and recited a long spell. The arrow emitted a red shine. Waver grabbed it and it disintegrated in his hand. Alexander groaned in pain, but just a moment after his breathing begun to improve. The wound stopped bleeding and his skin slowly began to regenerate.

“A mage…” Alexandros' voice was still week. He made a painful expression when Waver helped him up.

“You are smarter than you look then, Waver Velvet.” Alexandros joked

“How very kind of you, I’m flattered.” Waver smiled sarcastically

“What? That was meant as a compliment”

“Well then you need to work on your compliments. A simple “thank you” would be enough”

“Thank you” Alexander slightly vowed with his head to him, solemnly. His expression showed honest gratitude.

“Forget about it. You saved my life, I saved yours. Big deal...” He looked away, feeling awkward.

“Ha! You are an interesting one!” Alexandros laughed in amusement “First you demand my gratitude and then you refuse to accept it”

Waver ignored his comment.

Alexander’s chest was now almost fully recovered.

“Alright then, Waver the mage. Shall we go?” Said Alexander as he helped himself up.

“Go where?”

“To my home of course! You are my most welcomed guest. As a token of my gratitude I will have a feast on your honor tonight, and I will fetch you the best wine in the kingdom. After our stomachs are filled then you will tell me all about it”

“About what?”

“Magic, of course!” He gave Waver a pat in the back, so hard he nearly pushed him to the ground.

“No way. I’m leaving. I need to go back” Waver walked away as he spoke.

“And where would that be?" Alexandros followed.

“London” Waver kept walking.

“London?” He looked at him, curious. “Is this "London" kingdom a prosperous one?”

“yes, very. If not the most prosperous”

 “Ha! Interesting. I have no knowledge of such place” He said, thoughtfully. “Tell me, Waver the mage, is this London realm of yours located beyond the Cyclades islands?”

“No…I don’t know. And stop calling me that.”

“You don’t know? Then how do you plan to get there, if you don’t know?”

“I don’t know!”

Alexandros cut him through and stood in front of him, making Waver stop.

“Stay here tonight”

“No!”

“Stay, and I shall give you my finest ship as your departing gift. You will set sail tomorrow morning”

“I said no!”

“Why?”

“Because…” he could not think of a reason. How could he explain to him that he accidentally time-traveled there and he could not interact with anybody without altering the course of history?

“Listen, Waver. Do you have a boat?”

“No…”

“Do you have a place to stay?”

“No, but-”

“Then it’s settled! You will stay and you will leave at dawn.” He gave him a big, confident smile.

Weaver hesitated a moment.  _Well, it is true that I don’t have anywhere to stay. And I could be stuck here for a while until I figure out how to go back,_  he thought.

Waver sighed “OK, let’s go, before I regret it”

“You will not regret this!” Alexandros patted his back again with excitement, this time Waver actually landed with his face on the ground.

 

-

 

“What the…” Waver could not believe the view of such a luxurious, ancient building before his eyes.

"You live in a palace?!”

“Oh yeah! I forgot to mention. I am the prince” Alexander smiled

“How the hell does anyone forget something like that!!”

The gates opened, and guards marched to the sound of drums towards them.

“The prince, Alexandros of Macedon!”

One of the guards announced his arrival.

“Macedon…” Waver though out loud. Something suddenly clicked in his head…

 _“… Alexandros of Macedon?!”_ He covered his own mouth with both hands to prevent himself from yelling.

“Young master! Welcome back!” Two men ran to welcome them.

“Parmenion, Orestys” Alexandros hugged them and they started a conversation.

 

Waver could not focus on a word they where saying, their voices sounded like some background music to his thoughts. He froze.

_So if he is the prince of Macedon…_

Waver stared at the red-haired young man and it suddenly came to him...

 

_Then Alexandros is…_

_…_

 

“Alexander. Alexander the Great.” Waver mumbled

“Sorry, what?” Alexandros turned to him, puzzled

“You are Alexander the Great...” Waver stared at him in astonishment.

Alexandros smirked, flattered.

“Well, I’ve never been called that before, but I can certainly get used to it”

Waver suddenly realized the young man would not be known by that name until many years from now. How could he begin to explain to him the situation? He was not even sure how to feel himself. Alexandros, Alexander the Great, known by the name of Iskandar in the East, his servant during the Holy Grail war. His partner, his friend. The king he swore to follow until his death. He had been expecting this moment of reunion for so long, and now there he was. Alive. Real. Yet this Alexander possessed no memories of the moments they shared. No, this was someone else. A stranger. His image differed greatly from the one he had in his memories of a great king. Strong and wise and experienced. He wasn’t sure weather he would scream out of joy or run away from this stranger. But most of all, he feared the outcome of this fortuitous meeting, never meant to be.

He recalled the words of one of his professors in the Clock Tower, in one of his very first lectures: _“…for those who still believe in time travel, they think of it as a double-edged sword. It could be the most powerful weapon, yet it could also lead to you very own destruction. The tiniest detail can alter the course of history forever. You must be a mere observer, and never interfere”._

There was no way he could tell young Alexander anything about his future, or about the Grail Wars. This realization made him deeply sad all of a sudden.

“Waver?” Alexandros could read his troubled face.

“Sorry. I was spacing out”

“Did you want to tell me something?”

“Alexandros...I mean, Alexander. I will call you Alexander. It’s easier to get used to”

“Hmmm” he crossed his arms against his chest, thoughtful. “I like how it sounds”

They both smiled

“And now…” Alexander wrapped one arm around Waver’s neck, nearly chocking him. “Let's get you out of those hideous rags and fetch you some decent robes. I don’t want you to become the centre of attention, since that should be me”, he joked.

Waver sighed.

 

_...Oh dear…I am already regretting this…_

 

 


	3. The Feast

It was the first time Waver had been inside a palace. The palace of Pella seemed to him like a whole city within the city. "Buckingham palace looks like a doll house compared to this", he thought. Soldiers marched through the pebble mosaic corridors, in between the tall Doric columns, and young men trained in the courtyard. A couple of girls giggled as the young prince and his mage companion passed by on their way into the throne room, where the council took place.

As soon as they entered the room one of the soldiers came to their welcoming, followed by a dozen of servants. By his pace, Waver could tell the man was agile for his age – late sixties was his guess-. Golden armor, greaves and puldrons, silver hair falling onto his shoulders. A leather belt incrusted with jewels and golden details indicated his high rank in the army.

"Young prince! You are finally back! I thought we would never see you again!" The old man opened his arms dramatically to hug him

Alexander rolled his eyes. Only Waver noticed.

"There is no need to be so dramatic, Attalus. I was just away for a couple days"

The old man's smile was instantly wiped away when he looked at the hole in Alexander's armor.

"Is that blood?" he asked, horrified

Alexander looked away

"My Lord, this is the third time this month! And need I remind you that we are still at war?"

"I know, that's exactly why I need to be out there. I was… on spy duty"

"Please send your men, my lord! It is too dangerous for you, if something happened to you…", he paused to take a deep breath, "your men need you. Your father is getting too old for battle, and the new recruits have been waiting for you to start their training. They need someone to lead them".

"Yes, I understand. But how could I ask my men to risk their lives if I am not willing to do the same? How can they believe in me?"

"Please my lord, be careful. Just promise me you will let me know next time"

Alexander sighed

"Fine. But I will cut your head off if you tell my father"

Waver laughed with sarcasm

"Threatening someone who is worried about you, and running away from your duties? And then you complain about being called a spoiled brat…" Waver pointed out

Attalus gave him a dirty look

"How dare you speak to the prince in such way. Apologize or I'll have you killed!"

"It's ok Attalus, I trust this man. Besides, he was just joking, right?", he winked at Waver, who looked at him a bit hesitant, but agreed.

"Yes, my lord", he slightly bowed with his head

Only Alexander could read the sarcasm in his voice, but he didn't mind. In fact, he found it even somewhat amusing.

"Make sure he gets decent clothes for dinner, and find him a room"

"He is staying in the palace?" Attalus asked, concerned about the sudden interest of his prince in a foreign stranger they knew little about.

"Surely you don't expect my guest to stay in the city where he doesn't know anybody. Do you?"

"No, of course not…"

"Alright", Alexander said as he stretched, "I'll get ready for the feast. All that fighting made me sweaty, I'll need a good bath. I'll See you in a bit"

Waver watched him walk away, followed by ten servants, men and women.

Attalus scanned Waver from his feet to the head with a suspicious look, and then turned to the closest servant.

"You heard the prince, boy"

The servant nodded and turned to Waver

"Please sir, follow me"

Waver obeyed

They walked through the mosaic corridor and across the garden. They passed several rooms, none of them had doors, but only the missing part of the walls that served as them. Waver peeked in every now and then. He could see huge baths where numerous women bathed, and men on the other side. Sometimes they did more than just bathe each other. In one occasion, Waver exchanged looks with a girl. She smiled at him, but he looked away and kept walking until he finally reached his room.

They entered, and the boy stood at the entrance in silence staring at Waver.

Waver coughed "Thank you, that would be all" he said, hoping he would leave

"Sorry my lord, but my job is to take care of you, and help you get ready for the feast"

"Oh…no, no, no," he chuckled, "I'm not a lord or anything like that. There is no need for that."

"It doesn't matter, all it matters is that you are the young master's guest"

"I appreciate it, but I'm not worthy of such treatment. I can do it myself, thank you...uhhh", he tried to recall the boy's name, "I'm sorry, I've been extremely rude. We haven't even introduced ourselves. My name is Waver Velvet"

The boy opened his eyes wide, then looked down

"No one has ever asked my name before"

"No one has manners then" he joked. The boy smiled

"Menes" The boy offered his hand

"Menes…?"

"Just Menes. Or Menes of Pella if you like. I am orphan, orphans take the name of their birthplace. I was born here in the palace."

"Alright then, Menes of Pella, you are released from your duties with me"

"Forgive me sir," he now stood up straight, chin high, and spoke firmly, "but I cannot do that. I follow only his highness the prince Alexandros' orders"

Waver sighed

"You are very loyal, Menes, Alexander is very lucky to have people likyou"

"Thank you, sir. Prince Alexandros has always been very kind to me… the few times I've had the honor to serve him directly"

Realizing that the boy wasn't going anywhere, Waver decided it was best to get on with it the sooner the better. He tried to ignore the fact that there was no door and a spectator. He unbuttoned his shirt and undid his pants. The boy stood by his side -Waver couldn't help feeling a little awkward- and handed him a white tunic and a red cape. Then he watched his master trying to put them on, without success.

"Excuse me, but you are a foreigner, correct? You wouldn't know how to do it properly. Here, if I may…"

After a last failed attempt, Waver gave in. He took a deep breath and let the boy do his job. He wrapped the robe around Waver's naked body, while he closed his eyes trying not to think too much about it. Just a moment after the boy stopped and Waver opened his eyes.

"All done, sir. Now the sandals, and you are ready for dinner"

That was a lot faster and easier than Waver expected. He managed to put on his sandals and they both exited the room towards the hall.

The great feast had already begun. Endless tables set with all kinds of meat and fruit, numerous cups made of gold already half filled with wine. People standing all around the room, men and women, lively chatting, drinking and singing. Waver wondered how all these people were related to Alexander, or if they were related at all. He searched for him in the crowd but couldn't see him. All he could see was the old man Attalus frowning at him, sitting at the only table that was placed higher than the rest, the table for royalty members and the king's council. Waver tried to get out of the old man's sight by sitting on the other corner of the room. He felt awkward being the only one who was sitting, and the least he wanted was any more undesired attention.

Lucky for him, turn their attention toward the royal table, suddenly cheering loudly at the triumphal entrance of the prince in the hall.

Waver got up and clapped along with the crowd, hoping Alexander would see him. But only Attalus looked at him.

"Don't mind Attalus" a man appeared beside him. Tall, dark-skinned, in his early forties, dressed in a soldier armor, "he is just overprotective with Alexandros. He is almost like a son to him"

Waver stared at the stranger in silence, wondering if everyone in Macedon was this talkative to strangers.

"Oh, I'm Parmenion" He offered his hand to greet him

"Waver Velvet"

"I know, Alexandros has told me everything about you"

"Everything? But we just met this morning, he knows nothing about me"

"Yet he trusts you" The tall man gave Waver a long, serious glare. His face nothing like the warm person from a moment ago, but a another, intimidating man.

"Why? Why does he trust you?" Parmenion went on

Waver did not know what to reply. A drop of sweat ran down his back.

"I wonder if you used your magic on him…". He paused a moment to observe the young mage's reaction "Why are you here, Waver Velvet? What are your true intentions?"

They exchanged looks for a long while in silence, Parmenion's hand resting on his sword's handle. As intimidating as the dark-skinned middle-aged man was, Waver refused to look away

"ha!" Parmenion finally laughed, then gave Waver a pat on the shoulder, "I was just testing you, boy. You have a strong will. I can see why he likes you"

Waver faked a laugh to hide his anxiety

"Come boy, let's get you a drink"

"I'm ok thanks, I don't really drink"

"Oh…" he pouted, slightly confused

"But I could have some food", Waver said right away. He didn't want to look unpolite. After all, Alexandros did say he was having the feast for him… didn't he?

"Are we celebrating something?", Waver said as he served himself some lamb

"Nothing in particular", Parmenion imitated him. "The prince just wanted to welcome his guests"

He pointed to the royal table with his chin, since his hands were busy.

Waver looked in that direction. Alexander lively chatting with noblemen and women – or so Waver assumed by their luxurious looking clothes and jewels- as they came with presents for him, one after another. A woman with long blonde hair sat solemnly by Alexander's side. To Waver, she looked bored and upset, even disgusted perhaps.

A second later another woman, younger -almost as young as Alexander- sat at the other end of the table. The golden-haired woman had abruptly gotten up from her seat, yelling something. Something Waver was not able to hear all the way across the room. Nobody noticed, except the people at the royal table, who all turned to her. Them and Parmenion.

"That blonde beauty is Olympias. Alexander's mother", he clarified

Waver observed her long, thin, figure, and imagined how beautiful she must have been in a younger age.

"And that young lady over there, the one who just came in, that's Eurydice. King Phillip's seventh wife"

Alexander had now gotten up, trying to calm his mother down. The young woman left the room in tears.

"As you can see, she is not very fond of her"

"But why?"

"Well, I don't blame her. Eurydice is half her age, and double in beauty. King Philippe is very fond of her daughter and son. The young prince is second in line of succession, although still younger in age by several years than Alexander, the first prince. But Eurydice is Attalus daughter, captain of King Phillipe's army and close friend. I think Olympias feels threaten by them. It's only natural that she fears for her son's future"

"I see. So, the King has several wives and potential heirs"

"It's only logical. In case one of his wives can't conceive a male heir, he needs to make sure he has options. Isn't that what your King does there in…uhh… where is it you come from again?"

"England"

"Right…"

"Not quite" he laughed

Parmenion shrugged and stuffed some lamb in his mouth.

Waver looked at Alexander again and wondered what the king was like. Was Alexander anything like his father? He certainly had his mother's wide, penetrating eyes, and sharp features. Yet he was nothing like her at the same time. His eyes were full of life and his smile full of passion. His whole being didn't have that negative aura like Olympia's. Did he get his temper from his father? Perhaps his mentors? Or maybe he built up his own character? His thoughts were interrupted by a third person joining the conversation.

"I see you have not given up your interest for young boys, Parmenion". A man stood behind them. Soldier, around the same age as Parmenion, slightly older.

"You should not attempt to make jokes, Orestis. It doesn't suit you"

"You are right. My bad. I am just in a good mood today"

"Why are you here anyway, I thought you were out with King Phillippe. It's rare to see you leave his side, as his personal body guard"

"Very rare indeed. But you see, he left me in charge of something important. Something that fool of Attalus was not able to do. The King asked me to look for his son who was missing. And there he is, safe. I am celebrating he was found"

"Not by you, 'though" muttered Waver into his cup, taking a sip of water

"What did you just say?" Orestis turned to him in a threatening way

"Nothing…I was just talking to myself"

"This is Waver Velvet, Alexandros' personal acquaintance", interrupted Parmenion

"Is he?" he looked at him, skeptical

"Anyway, I'm glad the prince is back now. He has tons of work to do in his father's absence. Lucky for him, he has us to help him", continued Parmenion

Orestis gave Waver another glare. "See you around", he said, and walked away. As soon as he left, Parmenion poked Waver on the chest

"You need to learn your place, young mage, or you are going to get yourself killed. Be careful with your words"

"jeez, why can't anyone take a joke anymore?"

"Not this one, no"

"Not only him. That Attalus guy is the same. I wonder if they are related"

Parmenion let out a hysterical laugh "You are quite a comedian. Don't you ever let him hear you say that, or you will definitely get killed. They hate each others' guts"

"Why?"

"Long story. Not the time and place. Maybe some other time. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some wine to drink and a wife to bed. Enjoy the feast, young mage"

He patted Waver in the back and left the room. Waver had a strange and unfamiliar feeling of anxiety now he was left alone again. Although he never really cared about being alone, he had to admit it was nice to have someone to chat with in a social event. He also had discovered he liked getting to know the people who surrounded Alexander, and wanted to learn more.

He sat in a corner and observed the scene, fascinated by the idea of taking part of the history he had read in books many times. He looked at Alexander, at his mother, all the people in the royal table, and he suddenly felt so little. He had a strange feeling like he didn't belong.

Time to go to sleep, he thought. A second later someone had put a cup of wine in front of his face

"For you, master Waver". Menes, the servant boy was standing in front to him

"Oh, thank you, but I'm ok, I don't…"

"You better accept it, my lord, since your secret admirer is someone of great power. Almost as great as his pride", he joked, turning his sight to the person who had sent him the precious offering.

Alexander sat triumphantly on the throne at the royal table with a wide smile on his face, staring at his Waver. He raised his cup to cheer.

Waver tried not to smile, and his lips curved in a weird smirk. He took a sip of wine, without looking away from Alexander. The young prince grinned as he watched him do so, delighted. Pleased to see that a valuable treasure like his finest wine was properly appreciated by his guest.

Waver raised his cup and nodded, in sign of gratitude. Alexander nodded back in acknowledgment. Their looks lingered a while longer, until Attalus blocked Alexander's view by standing in front of him to tell him something.

"Enjoying the wine master?" Menes asked

"Yes, it's…It's amazing, thank you. And please, just call me Waver"

The boy's eyes shone brighter than the golden cup

"I'm glad you like it, Waver", the boy smiled

Waver was glad he had someone to talk to again. The evening went on with chattering and drinking. The more Waver talked, the thirstier he got, and more wine was poured into his cup. They talked about the food, about the kingdom, about the gods. They talked and waver drank, the boy kept pouring. He poured until Waver begun to feel dizzy and sleepy.

He looked around. He had trouble trying to focus his eyes. The feast was almost coming to its end. Some people where already laughing loudly and picking up fights, while others just euphorically danced to the melody of the harps, honoring the god Dionysus. Waver tried focusing one more time, looking for Alexander at the table, but he lost his sight again. Instead, he saw a man in a black hooded cloak, who's figure did not seem to merge properly with the rest of the picture. He stood still and empty-looking, in the middle of a lively crowd. The image was so out of place that Waver had to rub his eyes to make sure it as not a secondary effect of the wine. When he opened his eyes, the man wasn't there anymore.

Now it really is time to go to bed, he told himself, getting up and taking a last sip of his wine.

He somehow found his way through the corridors of the palace back to his room.

I cannot stay here much longer, or I will disrupt Alexander's fate. I need to find a way to go back

He said to himself, almost as if he was trying to persuade himself leave. For every minute he spent in the Ancient Greece, the more curious he grew about Alexander's life before he became the great conqueror he once knew.

He entered his room with a final resolution

"I can't see him again" He thought out loud "Ever again. I need to leave tomorrow before he finds me. I can never see him again…"

"see who?", answered a voice from inside the room.

Alexander was lying on the furniture that served as a couch, his legs dangling on the arm rest and holding a cup of wine

"What the…?"

"I hoped you enjoyed the feast"

"It was amazing yes…" Waver pointed a finger at him, confused "But what are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you, of course. I'm looking forward to our little chat?"

"What?"

"Magic, Waver! I want to know everything about it". He now got up enthusiastically and put his cup down

Waver sighed. He had totally forgotten about that

"Alexander" he facepalmed "go to your room please, I want to sleep"

"not possible! I don't know when will I have another chance to meet a real mage like you! Now, come join me", he said, patting the pillow next to him, inviting his guest to sit by his side

"Listen, I am tired. Could we…"

"Nonsense!" Alexander interrupted "the goddess Nyx made the night long to witness our endless conversations with allies and enemies. It is during nigh time that our brains work the best, and the stars enlighten your thoughts. Wine and conversation, what could possibly make this evening any better?"

"... I can think of a few things..." Waver muttered "Going home would be one"

"You are funny, boy. Weird, but funny", Alexander laughed

"I am not a boy, I am 21", Waver said, slightly offended

"Huh?" Alexander opened his eyes wide "21? With that tiny body?" he asked, surprised. He grabbed Waver's wrist, gently lifting his arm to examine his muscles. Waver pushed him away and scowled at him.

"And those delicate features…". The young prince grabbed Waver by his chin, forcing him move his head from side to side to examine his face closely.

Waver slapped Alexander's hand away

"You may be bigger than me in size, but you act like a kid. And your face is also the face of a kid. I thought you were like 15 when I first saw you"

"Well, I'm 18". He said proudly, his hands on his hips

18?! But that's three years younger than me. Waver thought. Then coughed and changed the subject

"Anyway, good night. I'm going to bed". He walked towards the bed, hoping the prince would leave.

He did not know that someone's desire to sleep was no obstacle for his ambitious young prince.

Waver lied facedown in the bed pretending to be asleep. A few seconds later he could feel the weight on the other side of the bed. He turned into that direction and his eyes met directly with Alexander's hungry eyes, so thirsty for knowledge, that it was overwhelming. Waver jumped back a little

"Hey, what are you…"

"Tell me, mage, are you an alchemist?"

"Get out of my bed!"

"Well, technically is my bed..."

"You can't invite someone to your place and then rub it on their faces"

"You can stay as long as you want if you reveal to me your secrets about magic"

"who says I want to stay forever, you idiot…You don't understand anything...ever", he sunk his face into a pillow in frustration

"Ever? You speak as if we have known for a long time", the ginger haired man looked at him, suspicious. "I do feel like I know you from somewhere. Have we met before?"

" …ever…ever since we met this morning, I meant", Waver replied hasty, his face still hidden

"hmm", Alexander crossed his arms, doubtful. "So, are you an alchemist or not? Where you born with magic? How do you transmute matter? Is it achievable for anybody? How can I obtain magic? Do you have a philosopher stone?"

Waver had now sat on the bed

"Wow, wow, slow down that's too many questions and way too complex answers"

"That's perfect! We have all night"

"Ugh" protested Waver as he let himself drop on his back against the bed

Alexander leant on him, smiling. "Is that a yes?"

Waver rolled turning his back at him. The prince leaned over him and poked his cheek. Waver's eyes focused on something else trying hard to ignore him. Alexander poked him again, this time harder. No answer. Twice. Still the same. The third time Waver sighed and sat on the bed.

"You truly are a stubborn and ambitious little prince, aren't you?"

"That is the way a king should be raised to be", he answered proudly

"What is the point of that, if people are only doing what you tell them to do because you have authority over them?"

"You are wrong" Alexander's tone and face changed abruptly, "I would never rely on my position as king to be accepted by my followers...unlike my father...". His look became suddenly darker

Waver could tell he had offended him. He wasn't sure weather to apologize or just change subject. Lucky for him, it was Alexander who carried on with the conversation

"Anyway, that is not the way my mentor has taught me. I have always won an argument fair and square. Not only intellectual quarrels, but also in a fight". His words did not denote arrogance, but only truth

"Mentor?"

"Aristotle... I wonder what became that old man, he disappeared a few years ago. After I helped him rebuilt his town… never heard of him again", he said, thoughtful

Waver's jaw dropped, speechless

"Why are you looking at me like an idiot?", wondered Alexander

"Th-THE Aristotle?!"

"You know him? I didn't know he was so well known in the far away kingdom of "London""

"You have no idea..." he sighed, suddenly disappointed by the thought of living in the same era as him and not being able to see him. "I guess it's impossible to meet him then"

Alexander looked at him, thoughtful, and an idea came to his mind. He got up and got a book from the shelf. He handed it over to Waver

"What is this?"

"Take it"

Waver examined it. It was Aristotle's original writing and thoughts on Alexander's education. His eyes begun to tear, moved by his host's noble gesture

"But this...this is…"

"For you", he smiled, "and I have more if you want to take a look at them. There's Plato and others too. And if you are into other things like Aristophanes, or Sophocles, they are all in here"

He pointed to a shelf full of books

Waver could not hold his tears of excitement any longer

"Thank you" he said, kneeling and bowing to him

"What are you doing… there is no need to thank me", he replied, slightly embarrassed. As a Greek prince he was not used to people kneeling before him in his culture. "It's not a big deal, I have plenty of books. It's fine as long as this makes you change that stupid sad face you've had ever since you entered this palace", he scoffed, rising his eyebrows/

Waver felt suddenly stupid, and rude. The prince was treating him as a guest after all, and he was being extremely ungratefully to him.

"I'm sorry, your grace", he said as he smiled at him, nodding. "Alright. I'll tell you everything you need to know..."

"It's late now. Go to sleep. We have a lot to talk about tomorrow"

"Huh?! But-but you… you just said..."

"Sleep well, mage Waver! I'll see you in the morning. May the god Morpheus be with you, and send you the most pleasant dreams"

Alexander left the room leaving Waver puzzled

"Damn it. Who understands him?"


	4. The Deal

Waver woke up to the sound of drums. He stared at the white adobe ceiling, still disoriented. He stretched, and a sudden back pain reminded him he lacked the comfort of the modern days’ beds. Still half asleep, he looked through the window. Judging by the sun’s position it must have been around noon. Soldiers were already sweating out there in the courtyard’s training grounds.

“Damn, it! I missed breakfast!”

Waver dressed up in haste, certain he was not doing it properly, and ran to find Alexander. When he turned into a corner, he bumped into Menes. The boy carried a pile of freshly cleaned sheets, all which needed to be washed again now thanks to Waver.

“I’m so sorry”, the young mage rushed to help him pick up the mess.

"It’s ok, please, let me. It’s my fault for being so clumsy"

"I shouldn’t have been running. Don’t worry, I used to be very clumsy too...I still am kinda clumsy sometimes, to be honest."

They both laughed and folded in the sheets

"Waver!" Alexander jumped in, "what are you doing over there? Stop playing around and let the boy do his work. Come with me"

_"playing around..."._ Waver looked at him with dead fish eyes, then turned to the boy again

"Well then, Menes, see you later."

Waver gave him a warm smile. The boy nodded and smiled back, then opened his mouth to say something. Alexander interrupted them before he could speak, pulling Waver by an arm and dragging him away.

"I can walk by myself, you know?", pointed out the young mage, although he did not oppose any resistance.

  
"Can you, now?” Alexander asked, sarcastically, without letting go of him. “I wasn’t sure since you were taking so long."

They stopped at a huge ancient gate, behind it hid an even bigger vault. By the look of the dusty planks it seemed like nobody had used it in a long time.

"What is this about?" Waver asked, curiously

  
 "A job"

Alexander removed the rusty iron plank that served as a lock, placed both hands against the gates and pushed until it opened wide. Waver could tell by the cracking sound of the wood that whoever made those doors that heavy, meant to keep people away from whatever they guarded.

Alexander entered, followed by Waver, and the door quickly closed behind them.

He was astonished to find a room so big that he could have fit his foster grandparents’ old house from Japan two times in there. He guessed it was probably the biggest room in the palace.

There were tables and shelfs all around, and on them rested infinite number of books, potions and different kinds of herbs and other ingredients.

Two old men were working on an experiment. One of them mixing and stirring, the other one supervising. Both men turned to them when they entered the room. Waver recognized the soldier in charge, General Attalus. _“Great,”_ he thought, “ _seems like I won’t get rid of this guy easily”._

"My lord," spoke the General, "may I ask what business does this foreign boy have with a delicate matter like this?"

"Show some respect old man, this “boy _”_ is a mage. He is here to help"

"I...what?" Waver looked at him, surprised

"Mage?" both men yelled equally surprised, both for different reasons. Attalus gave the old physician a dirty look and his smile immediately faded, then he turned to the Prince.

"Pardon me, my lord, but surely you don’t think this boy..."

"Are you defying my orders?" Alexander gave him a threatening look

"Certainly not, sir” the man looked down at his feet

“He meant no disrespect, he is just concerned about opening up this room to a complete stranger. So am I, my lord.” Explained Attalus

The prince's severe tone and face slowly turned into to a much softer one. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

"You have always been a loyal servant, Attalus, and a wise friend. Both of you. I trust you will take good care of Waver. You can learn a lot from each other"

"I’m sure we will…" The old man agreed, although Waver sensed his words had other intentions.

"Hold on a second!" interrupted Waver. "No one has asked _my_ opinion. You didn’t say anything about working for you. You said you just wanted to talk. And now you are forcing me to work for you? Where I come from people would call it slavery." He crossed his arms against his chest.

"Silence!” Attalus had drawn his sword and pointed it at Waver. “I warned you, the next time you speak to our Prince like that…"

"Leave us" Alexander said before the old man could finish his threat

Both men's look went from Alexander to Waver, twice. After a moment of silence, the old men left the room.

Waver let out a sigh

"Listen, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, Alexander. I just can’t. I… I shouldn’t. Magic is not meant for war"

"Magic is already being used for war"

Waver closed his eyes for a second. As if he tried to pretend he didn’t hear what he had heard

"No. Not here too…" He said, disappointed

"The Persian alchemists have acquired great weapons. If they continue like this, they will destroy entire cities, and they will win the war. We need to find something more powerful than anything they can possibly think of. Something…like the philosopher’s stone…”

"No,” Waver shook his head, “you don’t understand…You shouldn’t seek for a power of that sort. I could never help you. I’ve seen what magic does in war, I’ve seen enough people die. And I can tell you, nothing good can come out of it. Magic always comes with a price to pay…"

Alexander observed how Waver’s expression turned slowly darker and sadder.

"I am sorry to hear that you have experienced such horrible things." He rested both hands on Waver's shoulders. The young mage looked up and listened to what he had to say.

"And I am sorry to ask you to go through this again, I truly am…” Alexander spoke in a sweet voice but with determination, “but that is exactly the reason why I have to do it. My people are dying. They are being murdered in the most horrible ways you could ever imagine." He frowned at the thought of it.

"I can’t. I’m sorry." Waver looked away, too week to reject him looking into his eyes.

"Please! I am begging you."

To his surprise, Alexander had knelt before him

"Please, don’t..."

"Waver. When you saved me, a stranger you had never met before, you used your powers to cure me without thinking. Without knowing who I was. Not caring if I was poor or rich, not expecting anything in return. That is when I knew you have the purest heart I’ve ever seen. I am not asking you to fight or kill for me. I only ask for you to stop the pain of my people."

Waver felt cornered. It broke his heart to see this young stubborn prince so desperately asking for help, but he also was determined not to use his magic to help him win a war. This could mean altering the whole history. His brain was working on a convincing argument. 

"Magic does not take sides...it cannot take sides"

"Perhaps. But _you_ can. Persian alchemists certainly can and _have_ taken sides already. Even the gods have taken sides too."

Waver stared at him in silence

"Are you not my ally, Waver?"

"You know I am. But..."

He could not think of anything else to say

"Waver, please". Alexander took one of Waver’s hands between his own and rested his forehead on them, as if he was praying.

The young mage sighed

"Alright"

Alexander looked up with a smile on his face

"But I have one condition". Waver raised one finger, and Alexander let go of his hand, listening carefully.

"I will not contribute to create any weapon or artifact intended to take people's life. No matter which side. I will only provide you with the essentials to extend people's life and relieve their pain"

"I understand"

"Not to mention the philosopher stone. Absolutely out of the question"

"Understood"

"And... tell that Attalus guy to stop being on my ass all the time"

"Noted"

"Also..."

"…I thought you said one thing…"

"I want access to _all_ of the original manuscripts of the philosophers"

"Yes, yes. I had already offered you that in the first place"

Waver smiled at him and offered his hand to help him up. Alexander smiled back at him, his eyes full of excitement, and accepted his hand. He got and with one short movement he pulled Waver close, elbow against elbow.

"Deal"

"Deal"

“That means you work for me now, mage”

“I know what that means, prince”

“Are you sure? That means you will be taking orders from me, and you won’t be able to refuse”

“I can take more than you think”

Someone knocked on the door, and entered without waiting for permission to come in

"My lord! Sorry to interrupt” A soldier stormed in. “We have been looking for you. Your father has returned"

"What? So early?" Alexander looked at him, alarmed. “Is he ok?”

"He has news for you"

Alexander exited the room without even turning back to Waver.

He was left in the room by himself, wondering what was that all about. _"What am I supposed to do now?"_ He thought, looking around. _"I guess I can start by making a few sedatives and serums"_

On a second thought, he realized having a job in a place like that was not such a bad idea. There were plenty of books about magic, and he could freely research whatever he wanted until he figured out how to go back to the present.

"At least nobody will disturb me here." He thought out loud as he picked up a book

The door suddenly opened slowly. Attalus and the old physician behind it

_“Well...almost nobody....”_


	5. The Rage of Alexander

 

The king’s troupes entered in a large line through the city entrance. Women and old men struggled through the crowd to get in the front line, hoping to see their beloved ones back alive, or at least their bodies. Outside the gates of the palace, the corpses were being placed for their relatives to recognize them.

Between the crowd a young girl tiptoed to see the soldiers. She saw the king and his party slowly entering the palace followed by numerous servants and she followed them. She struggled against the herd of desperate people, hit and pushed several times. Her highborn clothes and jewelry had caught the attention of the thieves that roamed in big crowds. She was so focused on not letting the king’s party out of her sight, that she didn’t realize two men were targeting her

“What a pretty necklace, isn’t it?”, one of them said as he pulled the golden ornament from her neck. The other one held her from behind

“Almost as pretty as her face”, he said, grinning

“Don’t touch me!” The girl cried, giving him a head-butt, which made him let go of her. When he did, she fell on her knees

“You little…”

The man pulled her by her long, red hair as she screamed. A second later, the girl dropped to the ground again. When she looked back, both men were beaten on the ground.

“Alexandros…”

“Are you alright?” The prince helped the girl up

“I’m ok”, she said, fixing her clothes

They both followed from the distance the king and his men into the palace

“What were you doing out here?” Alexander asked, watching the girl tiptoeing every two steps. He faced into the direction she was looking.

She wasn’t paying attention to his words

“…sister?”

“Yes?”

“I asked you a question…what were you doing outside the palace?”

“Oh, I…uh… I happened to be walking through the gardens when I heard the news of father’s troupes coming into the city, so I went out to peek”, she said, without looking away, still on tiptoes.

“…looking for someone?”. Alexander raised his eyebrows

“I just wanted to see that father is ok…”. She turned to him now, “What were _you_ doing out there, brother?”

Alexander searched with his eyes for something in the crowd

“Same as you…”

They entered the palace and the gates closed behind them, then they headed towards the great hall. They stopped by the entrance and met with their father and his men. The king’s wives, children and other members of the council also came to welcome him. Alexander and his sister observed king Phillip from the back of the small crowd that surrounded him. A man in a bloodied silver armor stood still by the king’s side, so tall that he made the king look small. He turned to where Alexander and his sister were, and the princess smiled, shedding tears of relief.

The king took off his helmet and his golden locks fell down his shoulders.

“Your grace”, General Attalus was the first one to welcome him.

“Attalus”. Phillip gave him a tight, quick hug. “Where is Orestis?”, he said, looking around

“Orestis!”, the king called his name and he came right away, “any news of my son?”

“He’s been found, your grace. I believe he is right here”

The king turned, looking for the prince.

Alexander walked toward his father, his sister by his side. The king smiled and walked towards them too, followed by the man in the silver armor.

“Father”, they both said in unison, glancing down with respect

“You have disobeyed my orders again, Alexandros”

The prince didn’t reply or move for a while.

“I am sorry, father”

There was a moment of silence, then the king’s face relaxed.

“I don’t want you to apologize, I want you to…”

“I am sorry…”, Alexander interrupted “…that your orders are not aligned with the principles that you and my master have taught me, and therefore I cannot obey them.”

The king scoffed, and then smiled proudly

“I raised you to be a king, but Macedon might be too small for you, my boy. One day you will need to find yourself a bigger kingdom.”

Alexander looked up and smiled, speechless. It was the first time in years his father had complimented him. He thought maybe the war had softened him, or perhaps he was just getting old.

The man in the silver armor standing by the king’s side removed his helmet, letting out his dark hair and the handsome face of a young man. The princess looked up at him, subtly. Her eyes met with his deep, green eyes, staring right at her. He smiled and she looked down again, trying to hide her smile.

“Ptolemy”, the king turned to the young man. He didn’t seem to hear him.

“Ptolemy”, he repeated, “has war left you deaf?”

“No, your grace”, he quickly turned to him

“Gather everyone for a small council meeting, immediately”, commanded the king.

“Right away, your grace”, the young man nodded.

Alexander looked at his sister and smiled

“It’s a relief to see that Ptolemy is back, isn’t it?”

“Y-yes”, she stuttered, “I am glad everyone is back and safe”, she replied nervously, making sure her father and Ptolemy were far away enough not to hear Alexander

“Everyone, but specially Ptolemy. Isn’t that what you are trying to say?” Olympias joined in the siblings’ conversation

“Mother…”, said the prince, surprised

“Careful with your jokes, Alexandros, you don’t want them to end up in the wrong ears”, she looked at her daughter, bitterly. She would have gone on with the subject, but something else caught her attention.

Eurydice, the king’s youngest wife, had come to welcome him. Before she could reach him, Olympias intercepted her.

“Phillip has called for a small council meeting…”, she said

“Oh…”. Eurydice looked at her, disappointed,” I won’t be long, I just wanted to talk to him…to see if he is alright…”

“That means you cannot attend”, Olympias continued in a loud voice, ignoring her words

“And neither can you...”, Phillip jumped in, giving Olympias a glare. He then turned to his daughter, “Child, please take your mother with you, I think she is not feeling very well”.

“Come, mother”, she whispered as she held her hand. Olympias looked at the king’s back with despise as he walked into the throne room, followed by the rest of the council. Alexander was the last one to enter.

They all took a seat at the table. All except Alexander, who was looking around.

“Your grace”, spoke Attalus, “let us begin by debriefing the results of the…”

“hold on…” Interrupted Alexander “We can’t start without Hephaestion”. He scoffed, and looked at his father, “where is he?”

The king sat quietly at the throne. The prince looked at everyone sitting at the table, and they all looked away in silence.

“Father…?”, Alexander’s heartbeat raised. He waited for an answer. “Where is Hephaestion?”

The king remained silent. Alexander was losing his patience

“Answer me!”, he yelled, “where is he?! Where is Hephaestion?”

Then he turned to the rest of the council, desperately seeking for an answer

“Where is he!?”

“We don’t know”, Phillip yelled back at him

“What? What do you mean you don’t know; how can you not know? He marched with you, he was leading one of your battalions!”

The king gave him a painful look and tried to find the words to explain the events happened, but he couldn’t.

By his father’s silence, Alexander assumed the worst. He closed his eyes and bit his lip, containing his tears.

“So you just let him out there to rot? To be eaten by the crows?”, his voice shacked, and his chin trembled as he spoke.

“We don’t know he is dead for sure yet” said Ptolemy in a soft tone, trying to comfort him. He hesitated one more moment before he spoke. “We… we were ambushed on our way to Epirus, Hephaestion was in front and he saw the trap coming. He warned us and protected us, buying us time to escape…”

“It was his first battle as commander, you knew that! How could you throw him in the front line like that!”, yelled Alexander, banging the table in front of his father with his fists

“He sacrificed himself to protect us. Do not dishonor him or his actions!”, Phillip finally said

Alexander digested his father’s words. He panted heavily, and his eyes became suddenly watery

“But…he can’t. He can’t die…we were supposed to become heroes…we were going to become a legend…together…how could he…”

His tears struggled to come out, he tried so hard to contain them that it hurt his chest. He clenched his fists and groaned in pain, shivering, and all that sorrow turned into rage.

“Damn it!”, he shouted as he kicked the chair he was supposed to sit on, so hard that it broke, “Damn you!”

Philip thought he was yelling at him, and he understood his son’s anger. But Alexander was not angry at his father, really, he was angry at Hephaestion.

“Where is he…”, the prince panted heavily, “Where is his body…?”

“My lord,” Attalus walked toward him with the intention of calming him down, “If you could give us some time to gather more troops and…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Alexander lifted him in the air by his robes, his face burning red with wrath

“Where… is he…?”

“Put him down, he was not there, you fool. Think before you threaten someone”, said Ptolemy, grabbing the prince’s arm, making him let go of Attalus

“You were there! How could you leave him! He was like a brother to you!”

“I didn’t leave him! My troops didn’t even make it there. By the time the ambush happened we were already on our way back…”, he said, his eyes grey with regret

“Son”, the king spoke, “I understand your sorrow. We have already started gathering a search party for Hephaestion, but the men have been marching for days, they need food and rest. And they need something to fight for…”.

He paused to watch Alexander’s reaction, and continued when he had his full attention.

“…There is a chance to end this war if we get enough support, but for that I will need your help. Not only your skills as a warrior, but your skills as a diplomat and a politician. Right now, you must let your personal business aside. A king always prioritizes his people and his kingdom before himself. As the future king, you…”

“I will not go anywhere!”, Alexander did not let him finish his sentence. “Not until I find Hephaestion”

“Did you hear a word of what I said, boy?”, King Phillip said, raising his voice, now standing up. “Do you think you are more important than anybody else? Is your grief more important than the mothers’ and wives’ and brothers’ and sister’s who moan the fallen soldiers in battle? You are not the only one who is suffering…do not forget that”

“I will go. With or without your support”, the prince said with determination, “and if I die, you can find yourself another heir, since I am not fit…”

Everyone in the council gasped.

They looked at each other for a long, silent moment. Then Phillip sighed, defeated.

“I will give you 30 men, no more; a larger number will draw too much attention. Travel lightly, with no banners, and ride away from the main roads. You leave at dawn”

“I leave now”

“You leave at nightfall and you stay for the council meeting, or you go by yourself”.

Alexander gazed at him, still breathing heavily, his nostrils widening with every breath. He finally accepted and sat on the stairs in silence, listening to the council meeting.

Several ours later the meeting came to its end. Alexander stormed out of the room to gather his men and prepare the horses, followed by Ptolemy and Parmenion.

“Be careful, son”, Phillip said as he watched him walk away

The prince did not stop or look back

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Damn you, old man!”

Waver complained under the heat of a bright sun shining over the mountains

“Out of all jobs I could be doing in that lab…he sends me to pick up herbs? Who does he think he is? He’ll see when I go back…Damn it!”

He tripped with a rock and rolled down the hill, losing all the little amount of herbs he had collected. He got up and looked at the empty basket, throwing it away and screaming in frustration.

He took a deep breath and sat on the ground under the shade of an olive tree, staring at the city of Pella’s from the distance. _What is that idiot prince doing?_ he wondered. He had not heard from Alexander since that morning when he left him with Attalus and the old physician, who had given him the only task of collecting herbs to brew healing potions. It had been a full day of work and so far, he hadn’t learnt a thing. Instead, he had only acquired a bad sunburn and sweaty clothes.

“Damn him too…”, he said to himself.

A sudden smell of burnt wood and flesh reached him. He looked for the place where the fire was coming, and he saw several pyres burning all the way from the hills to the temple of Demeter in the outside of the city. He walked a few meters towards the closest fire he could see.

It was a funerary pyre. An old couple moaned by the fire, both kneeling. A young man’s body was slowly being consumed by the flames in the middle of the pyre. The couple turned to Waver when he passed by.

“Excuse me sir, ma’am…what happened?”

“There are so many of them… so many, that we cannot longer perform the funerary rites within the city”, spoke the man, devastated

“He was our youngest son”, said the woman, an empty look in her eyes

“I am so sorry for your loss…”

“The youngest of five. They all died before him, one after another”, she continued. The tears burst from her eyes, but her face showed no expression.

“In a war?”

The man turned to him, surprised

“You are not from here, are you, boy?”

“No. Sorry…”

“Then run far away from here while you still can…”

“I don’t really understand what’s happening…”

“There is nothing to understand”, the woman said, “War is war. And war takes everything away from you, and it never comes back. I can only pray to the gods for my son’s soul to be reunited with his brothers’.”

“No parent should bury their children…”, said Waver, feeling deeply sorry for them. They somehow reminded him of his grandparents.

“No…no parent should”, the woman replied, staring at her son’s corpse.

Waver looked at all the other hundreds of pyres burning around the city. He took a deep breath and went up the mountain again. He recovered his basket and collected more herbs.

He continued until the night fell and he could no longer distinguish one plant from another.

The young mage made his way down the hill, and by that time, most fires were almost extinguished. He walked into the city, and saw a line of corpses lying on the ground, still awaiting to be claimed by their beloved ones. Widows roaming the streets like lost souls, and orphans begging for food all over the place. With every step he took, Waver was more determined to help these people. He was ready to tell Alexander he was willing to do whatever it took to help him.

Right before he reached the palace, the gates suddenly opened wide.

Alexander rode with 30 other men out of the city in haste. Waver stood there, watching him disappear behind the mountains.

 

 

 

 


	6. The Stranger in a Cloak

The people stared at Waver as he dragged his feet back inside. His clothes now dirty rags. His hair, tangled, covered in dirt and leaves. His fashion did not match the vibe of the fancy people of the palace, who looked at him with suspicious eyes. Not one familiar face to Waver’s eyes. He suddenly felt like a stranger again, and all he could think of was taking a shower and going to bed, _his_ bed, in _his_ comfortable apartment.  But he had to finish his job first. He had already made up his mind.

The last ray of sunlight was now gone, and night fell over the palace, covering it with darkness. Only the soft silver glow of the moon above, giving the palace a silver gleam. Some torches begun to light up in the distance, one after another. Waver decided it was safe to cut through the gardens and made his way through the bushes. Everything was quiet and still, except for the soft flow of the water in the garden fountains.

A sudden crack sound made Waver jump. He turned back and see who was coming.

Nothing. He could swear he had heard some branches crack behind him, as if someone had stepped on them, yet nobody else was there. He turned again to continue walking, and a strange silhouette materialized before him. All he could see was a young face under a black cloak. It was hard to distinguish weather it was a male of a female from that distance. The person smiled, and slowly walked away, as if telling Waver to follow. So he did. The lab was in that direction after all.

He walked across several long corridors in almost complete darkness, sometimes losing track of the stranger. But as soon as he was ready to give up and walk the other way, the stranger appeared again right in front of him, almost like in some sort of game of hide and seek.

“Excuse me…”, Waver tried to talk to him, but before he could finish the stranger had disappeared behind a corner.

Waver wandered around for a bit, but it was too dark and there was no sign of the stranger. Maybe he had imagined the whole thing? He had been working under the heat for so long after all. Maybe he was just too tired. He decided it was better to deliver the ingredients to the old physician and get some rest first. He could leave the investigating for the next day.

He turned back to head to the lab when suddenly a line of torches lit up one by one in the hallway, creating a path for Waver. He hesitated for a second. _This can’t be any good,_ he worried, _I sense something dangerous, but I also feel like it could lead me to the answer I have been looking for…._

He heard some voices in the distance coming his way, and the first torch went out, slowly followed by the second one, and the next few slowly begun to fade. He had no time to decide. _Damn it, if there is an intruder…_ , he thought as he followed the lights, _I need to find out and warn Alexander_. The last torch ended at the entrance of a dark room.

A shadow came from behind. “Come, Waver”, someone whispered, and then entered the room.

“Hey wait…” Waver followed.

 _How does he know my name?_ he wondered. Waver was aware that it could be risky, but trusted that the if person knew his name, it could be someone to trust. He could sense a powerful magical circuit nearby.

As soon as he stepped into the room, the whole place lit up. It was a small, empty room. He suddenly found himself alone with the stranger in the black cloak.

“How do you know my name?”, Waver asked, trying to get closer to see the person’s face. It still didn’t seem familiar. “Do I know you?”

“Not yet”. The deep, raspy voice that came from that mouth did not match the female-like features of the face.

“Who are you?”

“It’s not a matter of _who,_ but _what…”_

Waver stared, puzzled.

The stranger moved at a slow pace towards him. Waver turned away, and when he did the stranger was already standing in front of him. Waver swallowed, and cold sweat ran down his spine.

“I am Time…”, the stranger whispered at his ear, then pushed back the hood of the cloak, revealing an androgynous face. Eyes glowing red, and an almost animal-like smile.

“I’ve been called many names before, and will be called many others, but I first was named as Zurvan”

“Zurvan…”, Repeated Waver. “What are you doing in the palace? Do you work for Alexander, or are you his enemy?”

“In a certain way, both”, the creature said, as it grinned.

Waver tried to remain calm, but his eyes betrayed him, desperately looking for the exit.

“Are you in a hurry?”

Waver felt a drop of cold sweat running through his neck

“What do you want…?”, Waver asked, trying to find another way out

The creature looked at him and smiled.

“I want… you…”

In that moment Waver ran towards the exit as fast as he could, but after two steps something stopped him. He was caught in a magnetic field, unable to move. _What is this?_ He wanted to talk but his voice wouldn’t come out. _This feels like…exactly like the day I time traveled here…_ , he recalled, horrified by the memories of his body being teared apart.

The creature placed three fingers on Waver’s chest, and then violently inserted them in his body. Black miasma emanated from the wound, releasing several electrical charges in the air in the form of lightnings.

Waver’s felt how the air left his lungs, gasping desperately. The pain was so great he thought he would pass out. But instead, he remained conscious as he watched how a tiny crystal slowly emerged from inside himself, extracted by the monstrous creature. He thought he was dreaming, that he was living one of his worse nightmares, that he was soon waking up in his apartment. But the pain was so intense that it couldn’t have been a dream.

 _Is this how I’m going to die?_ He wondered. Then he closed his eyes, giving in.

A sudden image of Alexander reached his thoughts.

_That’s right, he won’t be able to save me now. He is not here. He is not coming…_

He opened his eyes once more. The creature was still struggling to extract the crystal from his chest.

_What a funny way to kill time…_

He thought, and figured that pun would have made Alexander laugh.

Then suddenly he got an idea.

_Time…?_

He pictured Kiritsugu Emiya’s time magic and his ability to delay time for a few seconds, -just like the one he had seen in books- which he had tried before a couple times, failing most of them.

_But what if you reverse the time…?_

He focused, and almost certain he would fail, tried to rewind time.

He found his strength to recite an enchantment, his voice a mere whisper. His words travelled around the room, and the crystal reacted to them. The crystal discharged a massive electrical charge, and the magnetic force disappeared along with the crystal. Waver was now able to move. He felt like the air became thinner, and he had the strange feeling like his body became lighter. The creature was completely still for a moment, but its eyes suddenly turned to Waver. The creature was moving. Barely a few millimetres per second, but it was moving. Waver finally reacted. He got up and ran out of the room as fast as he could.

He ran across the dark corridors back to the laboratory, tripping a few times. He was running out of breath and his body was giving into the fatigue, but he didn’t stop or turn back once. Not until he reached the lab. He entered, and after taking a deep breath, he casted a quick protection spell on the doors.

 _Its over,_ he thought, as he panted heavily, _I’m alive…_

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Ah!”, Waver screamed.

“Are you alright, boy?”, the old physician asked, alarmed

“For… fuck’s sake…”, Waver whispered, still panting, and then lied on the floor against the door.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost”, the old man frowned at him, worried.

Waver looked at him and laughed until he chocked on his own cough. The old man thought he was losing his mind.

“Poor boy…he’s gone mad”

“I’m alright. I’m just happy to be alive…”, he said, resting his head on his knees.

“Here”, the man handed him over a tiny bottle that contained some sort of potion.

“What is it?” Waver asked, and the bottle reached his lips before he waited for an answer.

“Wine”

Waver snorted, nearly spitting it out.

“Oh…whatever…”, he said, and chugged the whole thing. Then he sighed, relieved, and his breath slowly turned back to normal.

“What am I doing!?” He suddenly yelled, getting on his feet again. “I need to warn the council!”

“What are you talking about?”

“No time to explain!” He said as he rushed to the door. “I need to find…”

When he opened the door Attalus was behind it, blocking his way out.

“Attalus!”

The old general looked suspicious at the young mage’s sudden pleasure to see him.

“I was just about to go find you! Listen, there is an intruder in the palace… I was in this tiny, creepy old room, and then there was this…this creature, and he…she…it tried to kill me!”

“Wait, what? An intruder? That’s impossible, I just came back from the guard’s rounds check, nobody has seen anybody.”

“It is not _anybody_! It is _time_! And I don’t know what it wants, but I fear is something bad…something really bad is going to happen, Attalus, and…”

“Hold on, slow down, you are not making any sense…”

“…And the crystal…the crystal was inside me, and now…I feel it, in me…” Waver said, suddenly realizing the strange feeling in his chest.

“Boy…if you are trying to get away with your duties with this…

 “I’ M NOT!”

“Where is your basket of herbs that I asked you to fill up early this morning?” Asked the physician

“Ugh! I don’t have time for this!”

Waver stormed out and ran to the council room. “I’m finding someone who believes me.”

He ran straight, as fast as he could, too afraid to even look back. He suddenly realized that he didn’t know anybody else in the palace, and he was about to tell a story to a bunch of powerful strangers who knew nothing about him. His pace unconsciously began to slow down, out of insecurity.

“Where is that stupid prince when I need him?”, he muttered to himself.

He stopped by the entrance of the council room, and quickly glanced from one side of the corridor to the other to see if someone -or something- was coming. He peeked in, there was nobody in the room. “ _Of course they are not,” h_ e realized _,” they are probably in the banquet hall_.” He ran for a couple more meters until he reached the hall. He entered and stood in a corner, scanning for a familiar face in the crowd. He recognized Alexander’s mother; her face apathetic as ever. He had never been formally introduced to her -or to most people in that room for that matter-. He thought it inappropriate to go and talk to her. Alexander’s family was royalty after all.

He searched for Parmenion but couldn’t find him either. He made his way through the crowd to talk to someone, anybody from the council, but a guard stopped him.

“Please let me through, I need to talk to the queen!”, cried Waver

“Queen? Which queen? King Phillip has many wives…”

“There is only one Alexandros’ mother!”

“Alexandros? Since when are you so familiar with the prince? I think he would have mentioned you if you were, wouldn’t he?”, he frowned at him, suspiciously.

“But I need to…here is…”

“Now go, before I change my mind and kick you out, bum”. The guard gave him an annoyed yet somehow pitiful look.

“What? I’m not…” Waver took a look at his own clothes again. He had forgotten he looked like a bum.

“Please, I live in the palace, I can explain… let me just… I need you to come with me and see something…”

The guard pushed him back with his lance, but Waver did not stop.

“Please sir! I need you to deliver a message!” The mage’s voice rose in frustration, loud enough to get the attention of a second guard, who wasn’t half as nice as the first one. This one grabbed Waver by his rags right away and pushed him back.

“Please!” Waver begged “Tell them that Alexandros is in danger!. The people of Pella are in danger! There is someone, something coming for us! All of us! Tell them...!”

“Go home, kid, you don’t belong here…” The first guard said as he watched Waver get dragged away by the other guard, throwing him out of the room.

“Who was that?” Asked a curious young ginger girl staring at the scene.

“Just a poor crazy homeless, my lady, nothing to worry about.”

“Oh…”, she said, with a sad look in her eyes.

* * *

 

Waver headed back to his room, disappointed and scared, wishing Alexander was there. Where was that damn fool?

“That’s it. I’m done trying to save these people. They all drink and eat and laugh while others fight their wars. People are out there fighting and…and old people burying their children, and that’s-that’s not, that shouldn’t…” His voice broke and tears burst out of his eyes with that thought. He sobbed and wiped his tears, but they quickly came out again.

“Why am I even here? I don’t understand what’s happening in this war. I don’t know anybody here. I just want to go home. Where is Alexander? Where is he?”

He thought of his friend. Not the young, temperamental prince, but the great conqueror he fought along side two years ago. Where was he now when he needed him the most?

The king of conqueror’s words echoed in his head:

“ _The inferiority you feel is actually the quality of a king. You may grumble a lot, but you know how small you are. And yet you still struggle to reach heights greater than you can imagine._ ”

Those word of encouragement gave him hope, yet he still couldn’t help the feeling of nostalgia.

He wept his last tear and stood tall.

“Waver, are you crying?” Menes suddenly bumped into him

“I-I’m not!”

“Ok, sorry, but why are your eyes so…”

“I… I am allergic to nettle, and I’ve been picking herbs all day!”

The boy scanned Waver’s dirty robes. “Y-yes I can…see that…”

“Yeah I could probably use a bath and some clean robes.” He said, slightly embarrassed.

“I’ll prepare the bath for you.”

“Thank you, you are very kind.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

“And Menes” Waver grabbed the boy’s arm before he could leave. “It’s good to know there is at least one person I can count on in this strange place”, he said with a warm smile.

The boy smiled back “You can always, always count on me. Trust me with anything you need!”

Waver watched him leave and wondered if he should trust him with what he had just experienced. But that was something he would think about later. Right now, he could only think of a bath and a bed. Nothing else.

 _At least its presence seems to have vanished for now_ , Waver realized. He was no longer terrified, but the creature he had encountered was still in his thoughts.

Waver entered his room and decided to read some philosophy books, just to kill time until his bath was ready. To keep his mind busy with something.

He sat on the floor -he didn’t want to get his clean bedsheets dirty- and took a few books to read. He only got to the first two lines before he lost all concentration.

He got up and looked through the window. The night as still as a cup of milk. No movement outside. The city of Pella slept soundly under the protection of prince Alexander. Waver wondered if they even knew that the prince had left hours ago.

He sighed, resigned to the idea of not being able to see Alexander anytime son. He had just left last morning, after all. It could be days, even weeks before he could come back. The distances by horse were long, and he didn’t have any idea of where he was going.

 _I’ll make him pay for this…,_ he thought _, I’ll make him explain everything to me. He’ll see…leaving me here by myself…with no idea of what is going on…_

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a slight noise of banging.

“Waver…”

The mage turned, eyes wide opened. Alexander was standing right in front of him.

Waver stared at him in silence for a moment, speechless. The prince was covered in blood. His armor half ripped, scratches and bruises all over his face and arms. His red hair merging with the blood coming from a big cut in his forehead, forcing him to keep one eye closed.

He slowly walked towards Waver, panting and limping in a funny way.

“You look like shit”, the prince finally said, staring at Waver’s messy hair and clothes.

“Look who is talking…”

The prince chuckled, the mage smiled.

Waver could think of a hundred things he wanted to say to him. But at that moment only three words came out of his mouth.

“Welcome back, idiot.”

Alexander laughed, and a second later he held his stomach in pain.

“You are hurt” Waver held him by the arm to help him stand “Let’s take you to the lab to heal your wounds.”

“No. Please…” Alexander begged him with troubled eyes. “Please, heal my soldiers first.”

Waver could feel Alexander’s weight falling more and more, leaning on him. He was losing his strength. The mage sighed, and helped him walk. Alexander guided him towards where the injured soldiers were. A trace of blood left behind them as they walked.

“You could have just sent someone for me, you know?” Complained Waver, “look at the mess you are making.” He said as he watched a drop of blood drip from the prince’s body.

“You wouldn’t have come,” Alexander’s voice sounded exhausted, but steady, “You must be pretty mad at me.”

Waver didn’t see that coming.

“W-why would I be mad at you?” He faked indifference.

“I mean…I would be if I were you. Left alone with strangers, in a foreign land, with no clue of what’s happening…you are my guest after all.”

Waver couldn’t help feeling slightly embarrassed. He mistrusted his host, and underestimated his observational skills and empathy. And now he felt like he was an open book to him. That made him slightly anxious.

“Well, you should have said something before you left. I didn’t know how long you were going to be away. And you left me under the care of that annoying guy…”

“I did, I’m sorry. I had urgent matters to attend. I’ll explain later. First, I need you to heal my soldiers, please.”

“Yes, yes, you already said that.” Waver said carelessly. “Don’t think I’ll forgive you so easily.”

Alexander made a painful expression, and they entered the room that served as a temporary infirmary for the injured.

“Alexandros! Where were you!? We have been looking for you!” Olympias rushed to see her son, concerned. “Why didn’t you report to me at once after you arrived?”

“I had more important things to do. Getting help, for example”

“Help? What kind of help? Where is this help?”

Alexander pointed at Waver. “Here”

The mage looked at him puzzled. It took him a few seconds to realize they were talking about him.

“Y-your Grace”, Waver saluted

“He is our new physician, Waver Velvet,” announced the prince, “he is here to help heal the wounded.”

“What is wrong with our old physician?”

“Exactly that. He is old. But worry not, mother, they are working together; he is learning everything.”

“Well go ahead and worry about your self first. Look at you. What will the people of Pella think when they see their prince like this? Their morale will go down the hill.”

Alexander ignored her and kept walking with Waver’s help.

“You may not like it, but she has a point, Alexander.” Whispered Waver, but the prince didn’t reply. Instead, he knelt by a soldier’s side.

“Please, heal him.” He begged.

The soldier’s face was intact. Perfect golden curls fell over a gentle face, long eyelashes popping out from his closed eyelids. There was not a single scratch or drop of blood. Yet his skin was pale and his face lacked all signs of life. His lips tinted with a bluish tone. Waver wondered what was wrong with him. He scanned the rest of the body with his eyes. The soldier’s hand rested on his stomach. Alexandros moved the blond boy’s arm aside and lifted the blanket he was covered under, revealing a fatal wound caused by a lance through the abdomen.

Waver gasped. He instantly looked around the room for some potions or anything that he could use to help him. He didn’t have much knowledge of medicine, and he wasn’t sure he should be using magic in the palace, especially when it could lure that horrible creature. But he couldn’t leave that man to die.

“At least I should be able to take out the lance and stop the blood. But we will need to be very quick and careful…”

“…we?”

“I need you to pull the lance while I stop the bleeding. But Alexander, listen, I won’t lie to you, I can’t guarantee this will work…”

“Anything is better than just watching him die.” Alexander was now holding the soldier’s hand, who’s eyebrows softly curved for a second.

After seeing Alexander’s devotion, Waver gathered that person must have been someone very dear to the prince. He could not let him down.

The mage whispered an enchantment, and the prince held the lance between his hands. The second he pulled it out, time froze in the room. For everyone except Waver.

He quickly pushed against the wound before the man bled out, and bandaged him around his waist. A second later the man was gasping in pain, green eyes wide opened, only to fall unconscious again another second later.

“Hephaestion!” Alexander yelped. In his eyes, tears of joy. “You made it, you bastard.” He muttered, as he kissed his forehead.

Waver observed the scene, relieved. “Thank god…”

“No. _Thank you_.” Alexander said in a soft voice, without parting from the man who lied unconscious by his side.

“Can I heal you now?”

“You’ve helped me enough. More than you can imagine. I’m ok. Please, just go help the others. I’ll be alright, don’t worry. I won’t move from here, I’ll be watching him.” Alexander smiled, giving Waver some sort of comfort.

The mage helped the old physician for the next couple of minutes, until everyone was settled down.

“Phew, what a day.” Waver commented, as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Especially for you” the old physician said, handing him over a leather water canteen with wine. This time Waver drank the contents without hesitating.

“Yeah, I should probably go to bed soon or I’ll pass out too. Then I will be no use.”

“Oh, you are plenty of use, Waver Velvet. Plenty of use.”

Waver smiled, flattered, and then got up to walk to his room.

“Ah! I forgot my bath! Oh no, I hope it’s still warm.” He thought out loud.

 

* * *

 

The bath was warm and relaxing. In the warmth and comfort of the hot water Waver could now think more clearly, starting to put his thoughts in order. He needed to find a way to go back to the present. That was the first thing, no doubt. But he could now see that would take time. Meanwhile, working in the lab for research and learning one or two things from the old physician couldn’t do him any harm. He could even use this new knowledge to performing healing magic -his healing magic was useless without a powerful catalyst-. The second thing that was in his mind was that creature, Zurvan, the creature who claimed to be “time”. There was no doubt it was related with his journey to this ancient era. But how? He could not tell. And what was that crystal he was after? Why was it inside his body? That was the greatest question of all. One more thing came to his mind. Who was that wounded soldier? He was curious to know about his bond with Alexander, who seemed very fond of him. With this last thought he jumped out of the bath.

“Alexander! I forgot to tell him about it! I must warn him!”

He wrapped himself in a towel with haste, and rushed out the bathroom.

Then he stopped all of a sudden.

 _Wait, I don’t even know what time is it…it’s probably late and he would be sleeping._ He thought, hesitant. _But this is crucial, he could be in danger, I need to warn him... Or should I wait until the morning?_

He circled around for a few second, biting his nails.

_No, I need to tell him._

He passed by the hospital room, and all the lights were out, the injured all resting. There was only one place Alexander could be at that moment. He rushed to his room.

Without thinking, he stormed into Alexander’s room.

“Alexander! I need to…”

But his speech was interrupted by the surprise his eyes witnessed.

“Waver?” Alexander turned to him, puzzled. He was half naked, his arms wrapped around the waist of young and beautiful woman.

The mage turned around, astonished and feeling awkward. “Sorry I… I didn’t mean to interrupt, I can come back later.”

“Please,” spoke the girl in a sweet voice, “you are not interrupting. I’m the one who is intruding. Forgive me, brother, you should have told me you were expecting company”

“W-what?” Alexander cried, slightly embarrassed, “No, its nothing like that.”

“Brother?” Waver turned to the girl, studying her face. Red, long hair hanging from a bun.

“Although I have to admit it looks kind of suspicious…” Said the Prince crossing his arms. “Waver, what are you doing here in the middle of the night dressing like…that?” His eyebrows raised as he stared at Waver’s towel, almost falling from his waist.

Waver’s hands went to his towel by reflexes, blushing violently.

“I-I was having a bath…and I forgot I had to tell you something really important! And then I rushed here and forgot I wasn’t wearing any clothes!”

“Sorry, have we met before?” The girl looked at Waver, carefully

“I don’t believe so, no.”

“Oh, my bad!” Alexander said. “Waver, this is my sister, Cleo. Cleo, this is Waver Velvet, my personal physician and mage.”

“P-pleasure to meet you”, said Waver, surprisingly polite.

“No, no” She replied, thoughtfully. “I _have_ seen you before. Weren’t you at the banquet hall this evening?”

“I… uh… no, not that I remember” lied Waver, recalling the scene he made during that evening’s dinner with the guards.

“Oh yes!” She opened her eyes wide and rejoiced at her good memory. “You are that homeless boy they threw out of the room!”

“ah ha ha”  He laughed, nervously.

“You what?” Asked Alexander, confused.

“You must have mistaken me for someone else, my lady. That was definitely not me.” Said Waver, faking a smile.

“What does she mean? What happened at dinner?”

“No idea. Listen, I need to talk to you, in private.” Waver changed the subject.

“It’s alright. I trust Cleo with my life. Whatever it is, she can be part of it.”

“It’s ok, brother, I was just leaving anyway now that I’m done with healing your wounds.”

Waver looked at the several bandages all over Alexander’s half naked body with relief.

“Thank you”, he said to the girl.

She chuckled, “you don’t have to thank me, I’m his sister,” She smiled, “But I thank you for taking care of my brother. Thank you for your concern.”

Waver felt some sudden warmth coming up to his cheeks.

“I meant, thank you for healing him, since I wasn’t able to. It’s my job as his physician.”

“I know what you meant”. The girl’s smile grew wider.

“Anyway,” she continued, “I’ll leave you guys to it. I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight” She said, kissing her brother on the cheek and heading out of the room.

There was a moment of silence. Then Alexander yawned and let himself drop in the bed.

“Hey…” Waver, said from the distance, “Hey, don’t you just fall asleep now.”

There was no answer. Waver came closer.

“If you are pretending to be sleeping just so you don’t have to listen…”

He could hear a soft snore coming from the young man’s face, sunk in the pillow.

The mage sighed, looking at Alexander’s wounds. He still had many questions, and he still needed to tell him what happened. But for now, he would just let him get some rest.

 _He must have fought hard today. He came back in less than 24 hours with all his men, and more. Making sure they all survived._ Waver thought with a smile on his lips.

_He deserves some peace now._

He covered him with a blanket, and slowly left the room to get some rest himself.


	7. The Prince's Duty - Part I -

That morning Waver jumped on the bed, shook by the clanging sound of an armor thrown into his bed.

"What the…?!" he yelled, alarmed.

"Good morning, Waver." Alexander was standing right next to him.

"What is wrong with you? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Alexander smiled and looked out the window, admiring the morning sunlight.

"Apollo blesses the one who rises with the sun!", he said energetically, "It is a fine day to train outside."

"Train?" Waver muttered, rubbing his eyes, still half asleep, "What are you talking about, Alexander? When have I ever trained one day in my life?" He said, annoyed, lying back in bed.

"Since today!" Alexander dragged him out of bed by his leg.

"Ugh!" Waver cried, grumpy. "Fine, fine! I'm up already! Give me just five minutes to-"

"Breakfast is waiting for you! I'll see you there!"

Alexander left leaving Waver puzzled, staring at the armor on his bed with disapproval.

* * *

 

Out in the training grounds Waver observed from a corner. He could see Alexander sparring with another soldier. Some of the other soldiers watched and cheered, while others fought each other as well. Most of them stopped to look at Alexander when he knocked down his opponent, clapping and cheering for him. Waver wondered what could possible be so amusing about beating someone up, unable to understand how those soldiers rejoiced by exercising and sweating under the sun.

" _They look like a bunch of barbarians_ …", he thought. Watching the soldiers beat each other,  _"why do I have the sudden feeling like I'm in a cheap circus?"_

He looked at Alexander again, who now wrestled with another man, almost double of him in height and muscles, although his face was the one of a young, handsome man. Curious, Waver walked towards them to have a closer look.

In that moment Alexander's eyes deviated towards Waver for a second, and the tall man used that moment of distraction to tackle him.

Alexander recovered quickly, getting on his feet right away.

"There you are!" He turned to Waver, dodging his opponent's fists.

"Are you sure you should be talking when you are fighting me, Alexandros?", said the tall man, offended. He brought the prince down to the ground and held his arm.

"Ah! I Yield!" Alexander yelled.

The man let him go, and Alexander got on his feet.

"Sorry Ptolemy," he apologized, "I'll get more serious next time. But for now, we have another task". The prince turned to Waver.

"Huh?" Ptolemy looked at Waver, puzzled.

"Come here, Waver", Alexander called him, making a gesture with his hand.

The mage walked closer to them.

"Waver, this is Ptolemy. Ptolemy, Waver Velvet; my personal physician, mage and official soldier in training from this moment on"

Ptolemy nodded at Waver. Waver nodded back, with a short and polite smile, and then turned back to Alexander.

"But Alexander…why do I have to go through this training?" Waver argued, "I'm a mage, I'm supposed to be physically weak. That's why I have my magic to fight with. Magic is my weapon."

"Correct, but spells take long to conjure. You need to learn how to defend yourself, how to hide. You need to be quick and agile in order to survive here. We are at war." Alexander said, patting Waver's back, making him shake a little.

"How is wrestling like a savage going to help me at all?"

"Wrestling? Ha!", Alexander laughed, "My friend, you couldn't wrestle if I trained you for years. No, I am merely going to teach you how to hold a shield, perhaps improve your physical condition to run away from battle. And most importantly, you'll learn how to ride."

"Oh, thanks for having so much faith in me, Alexander, really appreciate it…" Waver said, sarcastically. Alexander ignored him but Ptolemy chuckled.

"Don't worry, you will improve. Nobody is born with fighting skills. You learn them." Another man joined the conversation. Waver recognized the face and the golden hair of the badly injured soldier he helped save a couple days ago.

"Hephaestion…" Alexander looked at the blonde young man, slightly concerned. "I told you, you shouldn't be out here yet. You're not fully recovered…"

"I'm fine", he said, smiling at Alexander. "And I do believe your friend is right, Alexandros. As a mage, he shouldn't need to go through this training. By the way, "He turned to Waver, offering him his hand. "Alexandros told me everything about you, and how you saved me. I am deeply, truly thankful for that."

"No, no problem." Waver shook his hand.

"I want to believe your words of encouragement, Hephaestion," Interrupted Ptolemy, "but I believe that some people are born for fighting and some just…aren't fit for it. look at Alexandros, for example! This guy was born fighting!" Ptolemy said, grabbing Alexander by his neck and rubbing his head harshly.

"Ouch!" Alexander complained, easily escaping from him and twisting his wrist.

"Ok, I yield! I yield!" Ptolemy surrendered. "Damn… see what I mean?"

"Pardon me, my prince. I forgot not all of us can fight like a god." Joked Hephaestion, dramatically vowing to Alexander, who now blushed, making Ptolemy and Waver laugh. Alexander elbowed Hephaestion.

"Alright, alright you lazy bums, enough chit-chat. Break time is over, back to work!", ordered Alexander.

The prince turned his back to them and whistled loudly. After a few seconds, a horse of monumental size came galloping towards Alexander. The majestic beast stopped right before his master, and Waver could appreciate its velvety black coat. He felt very compelled to touch it, but immediately regretted it when he considered its size.

Alexander received the beast with opened arms, and the horse cuddled him passionately while the prince giggled.

"This is Bucephalus, my best friend", he said as he stroked the horse's forehead, the only spot that was not black. "He has been by my side for many years."

Waver knew exactly what horse that was. He had ridden the legendary Bucephalus before, many times. He even remembered reading about it in school. Still, he asked the question.

"I assume… there is a story behind it?". Waver pretended to be interested. The prince looked so eager to tell his story that Waver did not dare to ignore him.

"You guess correctly!" Alexander said, his eyes glowing, wide opened

"Here we go…" Ptolemy rolled his eyes

"Come on, it's a good story", said Hephaestion, cheerful

"One that we've heard many times. He just brags about it every opportunity he has, just to impress"

"That's mean, Ptolemy." Alexander laughed. "Bucephalus was brought to my father by a horse merchant as a rare and valuable good, an untamable horse. The king turned it down right away, he was not interested in a horse that couldn't be mounted, but I was immediately stunned by its beauty."

"Alexander was concerned about the horse more than anything", interrupted Hephaestion. "He felt sorry for him because he noticed that the horse was scared."

"He is a softie, after all", added Ptolemy

"I was around 12 then, of course I felt bad for him", said Alexander, slightly embarrassed. "So, I told king Phillip that I would buy the horse, and I bet the merchant that I would be able to mount him. He said if I did, he would give it to me as a gift. And so, I did"

"But how?", asked Waver.

"The way the horse was moving around was as if he was scared of something. Not people, but something else. So then I noticed something. The sun was up, bright and warm, casting a huge shadow under the horse's feet. Such was the cause of his fear and misery."

"Then kindly, Prince Charming here," continued Hephaestion, wrapping his arm around Alexander's neck, "he walked slowly to Bucephalus and whispered to him... to a horse -we all thought he was losing his mind-"

"He whispered to him; 'don't be afraid, it is nothing but a trick of Apollo'. And made the horse turn towards the sun, so he was unable to see his own shadow anymore", added Ptolemy. "Well, at least that's the story he tells."

"I did say that," confirmed Alexander, slightly annoyed. "Anyway, since then, me and Bucephalus had a special bond. We've never been apart, not for one day." He smiled as he rested his forehead on the animal's.

A moment later, he climbed on the massive beast's back, and all of a sudden he grabbed Waver by his robe, lifting him in he air.

"W-what are you doing?!" Waver asked, surprised. His feet swinging slightly above the ground.

Alexander easily lifted him in a quick movement, forcing Waver to sit in front of him. Waver found his balance on the horse and sat up straight, trying to keep his cool, gently holding onto Bucephalus' hair.

Ptolemy and Hephaestion followed them on their own horses.

"He seems pretty comfortable on a horse, I'd say", observed Hephaestion.

"Well, at least he doesn't look scared, if that's what you mean", noted Ptolemy.

"That's because I already know how to ride, you morons", protested Waver.

"Alright, let's see what you've got then"

Alexander moved back and pulled Waver by his waist, dragging him to sit on the saddle.

"Whenever you are ready." Alexander handed him the reins, and held on tight to Waver's waist.

"R-right…"

Waver took a moment to sit comfortably and adjust his feet to the stirrups. He closed his eyes and felt the animal's breath, its rib-cage puffing against his legs. He shook the reins and with a short, loud neigh Bucephalus rushed straight ahead at full speed.

Ptolemy and Hephaestion looked at each other, raising their eyebrows, and then followed them.

Waver rode across the training grounds, through the palace's gates and into the city. He avoided the crowds as much as he could. A shock of adrenaline hit him every time he had to jump over a barrel, or quickly dribble on a corner to avoid hitting somebody.

"This is fun!" Alexander laughed, taking over the reins to direct them into another route.

"Wait! Alexander what are you doing?!" Waver held Alexander's hands, too scared of not being in control anymore.

They hit the busy streets of the market. Waver took the reins back again and directed Bucephalus into an alley. He pulled from the reins trying to stop, but the horse was still galloping at full speed. At the end of the alley, they the rode right into a bridge rising over a canal. A wagon loaded with goods passed slowly and carefully through the bridge.

"Alexander, make him stop!" Waver cried, just a few meters away from the wagon.

"Why!? You are doing fine!" The prince said. "If you are scared, you can close your eyes."

Alexander covered Waver's eyes with his hands.

"Oi! ARE YOU CRAZY?! What are you…?!" Complained Waver, his hands still on the reins.

"Just keep riding!" encouraged him the prince.

Waver's heart rushed. He was terrified, yet at the same time inexplicably exited.

A second later, he felt how Bucephalus kicked the ground, launching them up in the air. Alexander uncovered Waver's eyes and held on to his waist again. Waver looked down for a second, dazzled, unable to believe they just flew above the wagon.

Then came the panic. He was certain they were going to hit the ground hard. The landing was as harsh on his lower body as Waver imagined, but Bucephalus did not stop there. Neither did he. Waver was now laughing hysterically, both out of fear and excitement. A sudden frenzy took over him, enjoying the feeling of the speed, and suddenly the wind against his face was the only feeling he could ever want in the world.

They kept riding out of the city and into the forest, followed by Ptolemy and Hephaestion.

"Here," said Alexander holding Waver's hands, "let's stop here for a bit." He pulled the reins and Bucephalus stopped abruptly. It was so sudden that Waver almost fell forward. Alexander jumped off.

"Would you mind giving a little warning next time you plan to do that?" Waver said, getting off the horse with difficulty. Alexander smiled and took his hand to help him.

Ptolemy and Hephaestion came just a few seconds later.

"Who would have guessed," said Ptolemy, "Waver Velvet, you are completely nuts."

"Thank you?... I guess?"

"But honestly, it seems you were telling the truth when you said you knew how to ride", observed Hephaestion.

"Yeah, seriously. Who taught him how to ride?" Wondered Alexander

"You did, you idiot…" muttered Waver, thinking out loud

"What?" The prince turned to him

"Uh- Nothing…" Waver looked away, changing subjects. "Anyway, shouldn't we head back to the palace?"

"The mage is right", said Ptolemy. His thick, brown eyebrows frowning at Alexander. "You don't happen to be doing this just to get away from your duties again, Alexandros, are you?" The tall young man stood even taller, threatening the prince with his fists.

"Huh? D-duties? What duties? Oh! no, of course not" Lied Alexander, turning his back to him.

Ptolemy pulled Alexander's braid. "Alexandros…?"

Hephaestion sighed.

"And once again, he drags us into trouble. Now Olympias is going to scold us. All of us. Even you Waver"

Waver winced at the thought of it, while Alexander somehow managed to get away from Ptolemy.

"No, no! Listen, I told my mother that I would use the morning to train new soldiers. Which is…what we are doing right now... Kinda…" Alexander rubbed his neck, not fully convinced of his own words. "Well, one soldier is still a soldier, so…"

The three young men gave him a deadly glare.

"The sooner we start the earlier we will be back!… Ptolemy, did you bring it?"

Ptolemy threw Alexander a bow and arrow quiver.

"What is that for?" Asked Waver, impatient.

"Hunting", replied Alexander, naturally.

"No. No, I'm not doing that", Waver scoffed, "Absolutely no way…"

Ptolemy handed Hephaestion another bow and quiver, and then equipped one himself.

"Oh, don't worry. We will do the hunting. You will be the one being hunted."

"Right, I... wait, I will WHAT?!" Yelled Waver, suddenly alarmed.

"You" said Alexander with a smile as he pulled from his bow, pointing an arrow at Waver, "will have to run fast, and learn how to hide in the woods."

"Are you insane?! How…how can…why would…but you…"

Alexander let his arrow loose. Waver quickly ducked, and the arrow slightly touched his head. A lock of his silky, black hair fell off.

"Nice dodging!" Alexander clapped, genuinely entertained.

"Are you stupid or what?!" Cried Waver.

Now Ptolemy and Hephaestion pointed an arrow at him

"Sorry Waver," said Ptolemy, shrugging, "Prince's orders"

"We'll be gentle", added Hephaestion, "well…we'll try"

"You fools! You have no idea you are facing! I am Waver Velvet, student council member of the Clock Tower...! you will pay for this!" Waver screamed as he ran away into the forest, followed by the three soldiers.

* * *

 

Two hours later, Waver and the rest rode back into the palace.

"Come on Waver, you are not mad at him still, are you?" Ptolemy asked. "You know he is just doing this to help you, to make you stronger."

He looked over his shoulder to see the mage's reaction. He had been riding with Ptolemy in silence all the way back to the palace, far away from Alexander. He had refused to ride with the prince, and the prince was too afraid to insist him.

"I'm not mad. I just don't want to talk to him…"

He was trying his best not to look in the prince's direction, but a sudden noise made him look his way. The two other horses dashed down the mountain, their riders raced to get first into the city. Waver watched in silence how Alexander and Hephaestion rode away.

"They've always been like this" Ptolemy said. "Always competing against each other. Ever since we were kids. One time they argued over who could hold going to the bathroom for longer. They both ended up peeing their pants. That's how stupid they can be"

He rolled his eyes, Waver chuckled.

"They are always arguing and fighting, but in the end, they always make up." Ptolemy paused for a moment to look at Waver "…because they are friends".

He turned and smiled, then he whistled to his horse, and it sped up the pace.

Waver took a few seconds to process Ptolemy's words, and wondered what he was trying to imply. He continued the rest of the way in silence, thoughtful.

When they arrived at the city gates, there was a small crowd gathered around the entrance. They got off the horse, and when they came closer, they could see Alexander and Hephaestion fighting.

"That was cheating!" Yelled Alexander from on top of Hephaestion, punching his face.

"No, it wasn't. I told you, it's called strategy…" Hephaestion blocked Alexander fists with his hands "…just because you can't understand it doesn't mean it's cheating"

Hephaestion lifted his legs under Alexander, throwing him in the air and making him land on his back. Then Hephaestion let all his weight fall onto Alexander -much smaller in size-. The prince now groaned in pain.

Their audience gasped.

"Alright, show is over" Ptolemy jumped in from the crowd. "I can't leave you alone for five minutes without getting into a fight."

"Ptolemy, I… I forbid you to intervene! That…is an order!" shouted Alexander, panting, while trying to get Hephaestion off him.

Ptolemy ignored him and walked towards them, pulling Hephaestion away and giving him a smack on the head. He immediately fell unconscious in the tall man's arms.

A second later, Ptolemy felt a kick on his shoulder, making him drop the man he was carrying. Alexander had aimed to kick his head, but forgetting the big height difference between them.

Ptolemy turned to him, his face red in anger.

"Was that supposed to hurt?" he mocked him, still trying to control his temper

Alexander could tell he was containing his anger by the veins popping from his forehead. Even so, he was so pissed he didn't care to provoke him.

"I told you to stay out of this, you imbecilic baboon!"

Ptolemy smirked, opening his huge hands, and with a long swipe he knocked Alexander down. When he was going for the second strike, this time Hephaestion came from behind him and climbed onto his back, chocking him with his arms.

"He told you to stay out of this, you imbecilic baboon!"

The fight went on between the three, and Waver stood there between the crowd watching them beat each other, hoping nobody figured he was with them _. "What a bunch of clowns…"_ he thought as he brought a palm to his face, shaking his head.

A sudden sound of a blowing horn made the three of them stop all at once. A herd of nearly 20 mounted armed guards rode towards the crowd, forcing the people to spread around. The prince and his friends were surrounded.

"Prince Alexandros", spoke the head of the guards, a thin, anxious-looking little man. Waver recalled seeing him before, during the feast, joining his conversation with Parmenion.

"Orestys" Alexander got on his feet to greet him.

"You have been requested to attend a small council meeting with the King."

The other two soldiers got on their feet at the same time.

"You two as well, lord Ptolemy, lord Hephaestion."

The blonde and the tall men looked at each other and shrugged. They all begun to slowly advance towards the palace, still surrounded by the horses. All except Alexander.

"Waver!", he shouted, looking for him among the riders.

Waver appeared behind a horse, and made his way through the guards, getting stuck between two of them.

"You are coming with us." Alexander smiled, reaching for his had. Waver took it, and Alexander pulled him close to his side. All of them now marched at a slow pace into the palace.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to bring me with you?" Whispered Waver to his ear.

"It's fine" Alexander whispered back. "Besides, it's about time I officially introduce you as our new physician apprentice."

Waver gulped and kept walking in silence.

When they arrived at the council meeting, there was no sign of any council meeting. It was just King Phillip sitting on the throne. His personal guard, Orestys, followed them into the meeting, standing right by the King's side.

"My King", saluted Alexander, solemnly, as he stood before him

Waver was shocked by such a formal interaction between father and son. It was the first time he saw them interact, after all.

"King Phillip" Ptolemy and Hephaestion greeted in unison.

"Y-your grace!" Said Waver, vowing with clumsiness.

The King chuckled.

"Stand up boy, you are not a horse." The harshness of his words was slightly soothed by the softness of his face and the warmth of this tone.

Hephaestion and Ptolemy giggled, and Waver stood tall, embarrassed. As still as a statue.

"Who is this?" The King turned to Alexander, scowling in confusion. "I thought I requested you three to come here for a private meeting?"

"Father, this is Waver Velvet, from the kingdom of…London"

"England…" Corrected Waver

"Waver Velvet, from the kingdom of England. He is my new physician"

"Physician?" The king wondered, "He looks quite… young to be a physician. What's wrong with my old physician."

"He is old…"

"Well, yes. Old means wise…"

"But this one…" Alexander pointed at Waver, grinning, "…is a powerful mage."

"Oh" The King's eyebrows raised. "Mage, you say. Is that true, boy?"

"Y-yes, your grace." Waver replied.

The king studied Waver's anxious expression. He thought he looked week and insecure. He did not like his son, the future king, to be surrounded by that type of people. He hesitated for a moment, but then decided to pay no attention to it. His son would get bored of him eventually anyway, like the prince did with many other distractions he'd had in the past.

"Fine, then", he said, indifferent. "I have summoned you here to instruct you in your first official royal mission…"

Alexander's eyes shone with excitement

"…your first mission as a diplomat."

His smile was wiped away in an instant.

"Huh?"

"Can't you make a smarter face?" The king joked, and Ptolemy and Hephaestion had to tighten their lips not lo laugh. The King then spoke seriously.

"Listen, Alexandros, this is some serious business. I am trusting you, my son, the first Prince, with it."

Alexander now stood tall and listened carefully.

"There are some lords that are not happy with the kingdom. Ambitious, selfish lords who wish to obtain more lands and riches, putting their greed before the kingdom's needs. I've received news about rumors of plotting against me, against the kingdom."

The four young men gasped.

"But father, the lords have always been loyal to you. I cannot imagine this to be true. Perhaps…perhaps is the war that is making them deviate from their duties to the kingdom. The war troubles everyone, it changes people. If you could consider maybe…maybe stopping this war… a truce. Surely, if you talk to them, they will…"

"This war", interrupted Phillip "is necessary. We have no other option but to keep fighting until we win. It is their duty as lords to send soldiers and food to protect their kingdom and their people from the Persians. And it is my duty to ensure they do so. So is yours, as their Prince. Do not forget your place, Alexandros. It is not I who decided to go start this war, remember that. And I will never fight a war that is not necessary nor fair."

Alexandros swallowed his words, clenching his fists and looking at his feet.

"Whoever is plotting to kill your father, must have an informant within the council", continued Orestys

"What?"

"The rumors have spread fast among the council members. There is information that some of the lords could not have possibly obtain without having an ally within the council"

"A spy", observed Hephaestion.

"Is that why you called us privately, your grace?" Asked Ptolemy

"Correct. I need both of your skills and strength for this. Alexandros, you have shown to be an avid philosophy enthusiastic, with the charisma to win over your adversary's sympathy. I need you to use your best debating skills to negotiate with these lords"

He turned to Ptolemy

"As for you, Ptolemy, I trust your observation skills to be able to investigate the matter deeply, and find out who is plotting against us and how to stop them"

"Yes, your grace." Both nodded

"Hephaestion, once again I'm relying on your strength and fighting skills to protect them."

"Always, your grace." The blonde warrior smiled.

"And… I guess you can take the boy, uh…"

"Waver, your grace", added Waver

"Yes, you can take Waver with you too." The King did not try to hide the hesitation in his voice. "A mage could come quite handy in these situations… I suppose."

"Yes!" Waver said, bringing his hand to his forehead in an army style salutation.

The King gave him a polite smile he could not hold longer than a second.  _"What's with him?"_  He thought, looking at Waver with suspicious eyes  _"I hope I'm not making a mistake here…"._

"So, what is our mission exactly?" Asked Ptolemy

"Orestys…" The king extended his hand, his palm facing the ceiling, and the guard handed him over two rolls of papyrus.

"Each one of these contain a message that will be the clue to discover who the traitor is. For your mission to succeed you must not, by any means or circumstances, open them."

Alexander slightly frowned at his father's words.

"Alexandros, as the future King, I am trusting you with these. It is extremely important that you do not open them, and deliver them as they are. Without this seal it will lose its value, and the mission will no longer can be fulfilled. You must do whatever it takes."

"I will, your grace", replied the prince in a sharp tone. He turned around and left the room in haste. The other three quickly excused themselves with the king and ran after him.

The king and his guard watched them as they exited the room.

"That was slightly cruel, your grace." Orestys opened his eyes wide and raised his eyebrows, smiling.

"He will get over it. It'll be good for him. He will be king one day."

* * *

 

"Alexander, wait" Waver said, trying to catch him.

"We leave in an hour" The prince replied, stopping. Hephaestion and Ptolemy catching up. "Waver, ask the servants to get the horses ready"

"Oh!" Ptolemy's jaw suddenly dropped. "I forgot I have something important to do! I…I'll be right back!" He said, leaving in haste.

"I'll go talk to the servants", said Hephaestion, tapping Waver on the shoulder and leaving.

Alexander kept walking, Waver followed him.

"Alexander, are you alright? You seem a little…tense"

Alexander's fists tighten against the letters he was still holding, trying his best not to crush them in his hands.

"I'll show him…" He thought out loud "I'll succeed, and when I do, he will have to trust me then…"

Waver said nothing, but he understood how the prince must have felt.

 _"He thinks the king, no, his father, doesn't trust him enough to tell him what's in that letter"_ , he assumed. " _But he will not complain to him or to anybody, he will just confront it and do something about it. That is the kind of person he is."_  Waver believed it somehow admirable of him, although he was not eager to deal with the Prince's mood for the rest of the journey.

An hour after, Hephaestion and Alexander showed up at Waver's room, ready to leave.

"Where's Ptolemy?" The mage asked

"He was supposed to meet us here" Hephaestion said

"That idiot… he is probably gambling again. We'll have to go fetch him", Alexander said, grumpy.

They crossed through the gardens towards the palace entrance. Just before they got the gate, Waver noticed there were two people talking by the fountain, almost whispering. They were far away, but he recognized Ptolemy's long, dark hair and his tanned skin contrasting with the glow of his silver armor. He could not see the girl's face from that angle, for it was covered behind her long, red curls.

Waver opened his arms violently to stop Alexander, making Hephaestion trip with him and stop too.

"What?"

"Shh!" Waver shushed them, and dragged Alexander behind a bush. Hephaestion followed them.

"What are we doing?" Hephaestion whispered

"Look, it's Ptolemy" Waver pointed

"Is that Cleo?!" Hephaestion asked

Waver turned to Alexander, waiting to see his reaction.

Alexander did not look surprised. Instead, he grinned and then crawled towards the next bush.

"Let's get closer", the price said, curious to hear what was going on.

The other two followed him.

They three got as close as they could, but still they couldn't hear Ptolemy and Cleo. Their words were swallowed by the murmur of the water. They chatted lively, although they barely looked into each others' eyes.

"Damn it, I can't hear a thing", complained Alexander from behind the closest bush.

"Shh, keep still, you are shaking the bush too much, he is going to find us", said Hephaestion, lying on his stomach by his side.

"Stop moving Alexander, your knee is burying into my ribs", said Waver from in between the two of them.

"Sorry, that would be my knee", admitted Hephaestion, although he didn't move an inch.

Ptolemy now came closer to the girl, and she extended her hand to give him something. He held her hand for a long minute, and their eyes found each other.

The three men observed impatiently from behind the bush. Waver turned to Alexander, who had just elbowed him in the face. Waver observed Alexander's intrigued expression. He could swear he saw a rosy glow on his cheeks. Alexander could feel Waver's eyes on him. He turn to Waver for a brief second, then quickly looked back at his sister and Ptolemy.

"What?" Alexander asked, the red from his cheeks now growing brighter.

"Nothing" Waver fixed his eyes on Ptolemy again, and noticed he was now standing there by himself.

"We missed it!" Said Alexander, shaking Waver's head

"Ouch, stop it, you are squishing me again"

Ptolemy, who could now hear them clearly, was standing with his arms crossed against his chest, irritated.

"Are you done already?" The tall man finally said

Alexander, Waver and Hephaestion got on their feet immediately. A shameful smile was their only reaction.

"We…we were looking for you", said Hephaestion, who was not used to sneaking around, smiling nervously

"Well, you found me"

"Did you take care of that  _important thing_  you had to do?" Asked Alexander with a wide smile.

Ptolemy looked away, his bronzed cheeks slightly letting some red show.

Alexander tilted his head to see Ptolemy's face, his hands behind his back, bouncing back and forth in a childish way.

"Ahem", Ptolemy coughed, "isn't it time for us to go already?"

Alexander giggled. "Alright then, all set, let's go!"


	8. The Prince's Duty - Part II -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quest to the city of Olynthus begins. On their way there, Alexander and his companions make a stop to camp in the forest.

"Couldn't we just go through the plains?"

"No, Hephaestion, for the twentieth time, we cannot." Ptolemy replied, annoyed, riding by his side. "Not unless you want to run into the Persians"

"But we are way faster than the Persians! I'm sure it'll be fine! Ugh… we would have been there already…"

"Only a couple more hours", cheered him Alexander, who rode behind him.

The City of Olynthus was almost a two-days ride away. Alexander, Waver, Ptolemy and Hephaestion took the long way through the mountains.

Hephaestion's stomach grumbled.

"We've been riding for hours…I'm so hungry," he cried.

"That's because you didn't eat before we left", said Alexander. "Here, stop whining, you big baby."

The prince took a satchel he was carrying, and threw it to Hephaestion.

He caught it, sighing when he opened it.

"I want real food", he said, looking at the olives with disappointment.

"Hunger I can cope with", said Ptolemy, "but I can no longer feel my butt. That is a bigger issue. Don't you agree, Waver?"

Waver's, who had not been listening to their conversation for a long while, had his full attention into the forest. He rode silently, trying to hear if anyone was nearby.

"Although Waver doesn't have much of a butt to start with, anyway", joked Ptolemy to get Waver's attention.

Waver did not pay attention to his joke. He had the feeling someone was watching them for a while, but he did not want to worry the rest for nothing, not until he was sure it was not just a feeling.

A branch cracked, and Waver could not help jumping. It brought him back the memory of the encounter with the abominable creature, Zurvan. That night in the palace gardens, when he saw the stranger in the hooded cloak. All the images from that night flashed before his eyes in that instant. He was overcome with fear again.

Waver was shaking on his horse, horrified, hesitant to tell the others about his suspicion of being followed. It had been three weeks since that happened, but he only had the chance to tell Alexander a few days ago. He recalled their conversation that day:

"I understand", said Alexander, after listening to Waver's story. His reaction was unexpectedly calm and thoughtful

"So, you believe me?" Asked Waver, surprised

"Of course I do" Alexander frowned, confused, "Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know…Attalus didn't believe me…"

"Attalus…He is a man of science. He wouldn't believe anything that is not understandable by the laws sciences, or by what the gods "whisper" to him", he said in a mocking tone.

"Still, I could have died…"

"Waver," Alexander's expression became suddenly serious, "that thing will not harm you again, we won't let it."

"I'm not scared", lied Waver, perhaps to himself.

"You should be, if you are as smart as I think you are. I am quite scared, frankly. Dealing with the unknown is scary. We should be careful."

Waver gulped.

"You should not tell anyone else about this. Not until we know what we are dealing with. We can't discard for sure that this thing is not working for the Persians. It might be just a trick, a spy. The enemy might have sneaked among the council already. We must learn who to trust first. Until then, the secret must remain between the two of us. Understood?"

"Y-yes"

Waver's mind stopped wandering between his memories, and suddenly realized he was riding in the middle of the night through the forest.

"Waver?" Ptolemy called for him, now slightly worried

"Yeah?" Waver replied, distracted

"I think we should take a break," suggested Alexander, "even Waver looks worn out"

"It's only because you want to stop and eat too, isn't it?" Asked Hephaestion, cheeky

"A prince's duty is to look after his subjects' well being", he said, getting off his horse. The other three imitated him, and they all settled for camping there that night.

Alexander collected some wood while Waver tied the horses and gave them water. Ptolemy kept guard, and Hephaestion started a fire to prepare dinner.

"Haaa!" Hephaestion slurped the rabbit stew he had just finished cooking. "Real food at last."

"I must admit, it's quite good," said Ptolemy

"Waver, you haven't touched your food", observed Alexander, concerned

"Huh?" Waver turned to them, spaced out. "S-sorry! I'm just a bit tired that's all", he said, taking several spoons of his stew at a time. He stopped for a second to appreciate the flavor.

"Wow, it is actually pretty good, indeed" Waver agreed

Hephaestion smiled, flattered.

"Hephaestion has always been the cook. Sadly, neither Alexander nor me learned from him. He is the cook, I'm the brains and Alexander is the pretty one". Ptolemy joked. Alexander gave him a deadly glare, which Waver found even funnier.

"You will make a good wife," said Alexander, patting Hephaestion's back, who was serving himself some more stew.

"And you will make a good idiot," he replied, throwing some stew to him, but he missed. "Perhaps you'll want to take me as your wife? That will make me a queen. I wouldn't mind being a queen. I could have stew everyday."

"I don't know about being a queen, but I wouldn't mind marrying one…" thought Ptolemy out loud

"And that would make you what?" Alexander turned to Ptolemy. "My brother and my brother in law at the same time?

"Stop with your nonsense" Ptolemy said, slurping his stew

"For your information, where I come from -as in many other places- cooking is no longer associated to a gender role…That's absurd, cooking is a basic need for-"

Waver stopped and took a moment to analyze Alexander's words echoing in his mind.

"Wait…what?!" Yelled Waver, confused. "Did- did you just say "brothers"?! How…what?!"

Ptolemy sighed

"See what you did? You are confusing him. Stop saying those things please."

Alexander laughed, and Waver looked at Ptolemy with eyes wide opened. Now that he thought about it, the king treated the three friends equally. He had trusted Ptolemy with great part of this important mission, and Hephaestion to be part of it. Were they all siblings? But then… wasn't Ptolemy older? Shouldn't he be the heir to the throne? Waver wondered about all these things, but most importantly…

"But if he is your brother, then Cleo…"

"I'm not", Ptolemy said, slightly irritated. "We are not siblings. Well, not really", he said, taking a bite from his stew.

"The three of us grew up together", clarified Hephaestion. "Alexandros and I have trained together all our lives. My father was a nobleman, friends with the king. Ever since my father died I've lived in the palace with them. Then one day, Ptolemy came to us…", he said with a smile.

There was an awkward silence. Waver knew this was a very personal subject. He wondered if the did the right thing by asking. Alexander wanted to explain some more, but he waited for Ptolemy to talk by himself.

"I was around 10, just two years older than them," finally said Ptolemy, still eating his stew. "My mother was one of king Phillip's wives' sister. Both my parents died, and I had no where to go. My aunt took me in as her son, and so did the king. He has always been like a father to me."

"And he has always seen you as his son", said Alexander, "and I as my brother."

Although Ptolemy knew this in his heart and felt the same way, he had a hard time when talking about it. He became quite emotional every time Alexander brought it up.

Ptolemy put his bowl down, and slowly turned to Alexander. He rubbed his head harshly, shaking the prince violently from side to side.

"Ah!" Alexander complained. "W-what was that for!?"

Ptolemy sat and finished his stew in silence, while Waver and Hephaestion chuckled.

They all finished their food, Waver offered to wash the bowls. They took turns to keep guard. Hephaestion was the first one. Ptolemy and Alexander were already asleep when Waver lied by their side.

He closed his eyes, but something was bothering him. The didn't notice the temperature had suddenly dropped so much. He looked around for something to cover himself with, but there was nothing. Watched how Ptolemy and Alexander slept so soundly, and wandered how they didn't feel cold. He rubbed his own arms, trying to warm up, and then stared at the space between him and Alexander. He imagined how warm the prince must have been, and frowned at this thought. Oh, fuck it, he thought. He stared at Alexander's peaceful expression, making sure he was asleep, and then threw away all his pride to curl up close to him. He was too cold and tired to care about his pride, and the prince's body warmth was too pleasing. He tried to make himself comfortable on the rough ground, touching Alexander's leg with his own by accident. He looked at Alexander's face, who had been awake the whole time and was now looking directly at Waver.

"What are you doing?" Alexander asked

"I- I was… I just…"

"If you are cold you can just tell me, you don't have to be so proud", he said, sitting up and taking off his cape to give it to Waver. "Here, take it. You are not from here, so it's only normal for you to take some time to adjust to the climate"

"I'm fine!" Waver said, turning his back at him and closing his eyes. He felt the weight of Alexander's cape over him.

Waver woke up in the middle of the night when Hephaestion and Ptolemy did the change of guard. He opened one eye and watched Ptolemy walk away, annoyed. It took him long to fall asleep, and now it he was probably going to be up for the rest of the night. He tried his best to go to sleep again, but Ptolemy returned right away making noise. He must have forgotten something, Waver thought as he listened to how Ptolemy looked for something in between the pots and bowls.

"Hey Ptolemy, cut it out I'm trying to sleep here," Waver whispered loudly, now sitting up. "What are you-"

Nobody was there. He looked around. Alexander slept by his side. A few meters father, Hephaestion was already fast asleep.

"What happened?" Ptolemy suddenly came from behind a tree, whispering

"Very funny. Now can I go back to sleep?"

"Uhh… sure", Ptolemy scowled at Waver's back, puzzled, and walked back into the woods.

Waver closed his eyes once again.

"Waver"

A deep, underground voice whispered his name.

Waver jumped but fought the need to open his eyes. It's fine, it's nothing… he tried convinced himself, but his mind was playing tricks on him, giving into fear. There in the middle of the night, in the darkness and silence of the forest, he could not fight his thoughts. He opened his eyes, and he swear he could see a shadow running through the trees. The same feeling he had hours ago. Someone was watching him. He turned around to make sure that Alexander was still there. That made him feel somehow more at ease. Everything is fine, it is all in your mind… he kept repeating. His eyes now forcefully closed.

Then it happened. Again, he could hear it, loud and clear. The sound of footsteps cracking the branches, walking towards him. Something evil was coming to get him, it was there, right in front of him. He wanted to open his eyes, he really wanted to, but he was petrified. He shut his eyes tight, as if by keeping them closed the evil would go away.

And it did. It went away. His mind wasn't as weak as he thought, maybe. He opened his eyes. Nothing. Just the trees and the campfire, making the wood chip crack from time to time. One last time he turned to Alexander.

"Waver…"

The deep voice of the creature was the last thing Waver heard before his sight faded to black.


	9. Fear

 

Waver found himself in a small, dark room. Torches lit around him.  _What was I doing?_   He thinks, unable to recall where he was just a moment ago. Disoriented, he looks around. A strange feeling of dejavu, a claustrophobia that becomes too familiar.

Strong gust puts the fire out and the empty room is now surrounded by silence. A soft light flashed before his eyes, just before everything turned pitch-black. His legs became week, numb. He felt a hand on his shoulder. His stomach tightened; his body shivered. He stepped forward, hands reaching out in the darkness, fingers shaking, wiggling in the air desperately searching for a wall. One, two, three steps. Faster each time. He could feel the weight of the creature over his shoulders.  _It's not real_ , he told himself.  _Its just a dream. It's not real_. But the harder he tried to ignore the fear, the greater the feeling in his guts grew. The creature now squeezes Waver's shoulder and he panics. He runs in circles. But the creature does not let go. With a sudden, violent movement, Waver is lifted in mid air, his face flat against the ceiling in a single second. He tried to scream but his mouth was shut, and a muffled scream struggled to find its way out his throat. The creature held him there against the ceiling, tearing his flesh as Waver struggled, useless, helpless. He groaned and sobbed until he could no longer feel anything…

Just before he thought he would vanish, a guttural sound finally emerged from Waver's throat, letting out a monstrous scream. He opened his eyes, panting heavily.

_It was a dream_ , he realized,  _nothing but a terrible, horrible nightmare…_

_But it felt so real…_

The flames of the campfire still lit up the forest. Alexander and the rest lying next to him. Waver crawled to the prince's side and shook him a little to wake him up.

"Alexander" He whispered. There was no response.

"Alexander wake up! Alexan-"

He felt a cold hand on his back. Bony fingers slowly wrapping around his neck. Paralyzed by fear, too afraid to turn around, he glanced down at Alexander again. This time the prince rolled to the side, facing him. Black blood pouring from his mouth, dead eyes staring at him. His face disfigured by horror, screaming his lungs out.

"Waver!" Alexander's voice called for him

The mage sat up, sweating and panting.

"No! Not again! Make it stop!" He yelled in despair "I want to wake up, I want to wake up!"

Waver rolled on the ground holding his head, sobbing.

Alexander struggled to hold him down.

"Waver, Waver!" Alexander gave him soft slap on the cheek, which made him look at him for a second "hey, hey… It's ok! Everything is fine"

Waver sat, still panting, and looked around. Ptolemy and Hephaestion were sleeping next to him. He looked at Alexander again, making sure he was still there and alive.

"You scared me". Alexander was looking at him with concern, his hands still grabbing onto Waver's shoulders. "You were moaning and twitching. I shook you several times, but you wouldn't wake up."

Waver was still out of breath, speechless, eyes wide open staring at the prince. Alexander had never seen him so helpless.

"Waver…"

The mage took one last deep breath, then closed his eyes, resting his hands on Alexander's. The prince could feel Waver's hands shaking against his own.

"Is it… is it that creature again?" Alexander asked carefully.

Waver nodded; his eyes still closed.

"It's OK, it was just a dream. You are safe now"

"But it felt so…real" Waver finally spoke.

Alexander sighed "I can imagine. But it was just a dream."

"Yeah…" Waver sighed, slowly starting to relax. But a sudden pain on his neck and chest made him frown again.

"Ouch" He complained, bringing a hand to his neck, rubbing it to calm the burning feeling.

"What's wrong?" Alexander asked. His eyebrows rising more and more as he observed a grey mark appear on Waver's neck. A mark with the shape of a hand.

Waver read his face.

"What? What is it?" he asked, rubbing his neck. He moved his robes to the side to try and see, confirming what he feared. The grey mark had expanded up to his shoulder.

"It was real…" Waver's voice shook, his heartbeat rising again. "…Oh god… it was real. He is here". Waver looked around in panic.

"Waver! Waver, look at me!" Alexander held him down by the shoulders, preventing him from running away. He cupped his face forcing him to look into his eyes. Waver gazed at him, quickly turning back to his senses, although still shaking.

"Waver, listen to me. I will not let it harm you. Do you understand?I will not let it touch you." Waver gulped and nodded, only half convinced.

Alexander waited another moment to observe Waver's reaction. Once he was certain he would not run away, he went for his cape and threw it over Waver's shoulders.

"You should get some rest, we have a long day ahead of us", the prince suggested.

They both lied down for another hour, before the dawn.

Waver did not sleep for another second. He watched the fire until it turned into ashes, lying there until the first rays of sunlight sneaked in through the trees.


	10. The Allied Kingdom

**Chapter 10 – The Allied Kingdom**

The prince and his men arrived in the city of Olynthus before noon. A small cloud of seagulls hovered over the city gates; a pleasant sea breeze blew even beyond the walls. It was a small yet rich city. Crowded, but not as loud and lively as Pella. No welcoming ceremony awaiting for the prince and his party.

At the palace entrance two guards stopped Alexander and his companions.

The prince showed the two rolls of papyrus his father had given him to deliver. One of the guards reached for them, but Alexander snatched it out of his hand right away. The guard frowned at him, going after the letter again. Alexander dodged him one more time.

"Hey! You think you are funny?" The guard yelled. Alexander didn't move.

"Not the slightest bit. This is no joke, my father entrusted me with this message. Me and no one else"

The other guard elbowed the first one.

"It has the king's seal", he whispered.

The angry guard looked at Alexander, taking some time to process that the young boy before him was the prince of Pella, heir to the throne.

"P-Pardon me, my prince". He finally said, lowering his lance and letting them through into the palace.

The others followed behind.

"You could have just spoken right away, you know?", said Waver.

"I know," said Alexander, "But I wanted to see how these people welcome strangers into their city. And I've learned a lot from it."

"That… and you just enjoy teasing people", observed Ptolemy.

Alexander's smile was wiped off as soon as another two men came to meet them. He recognized the lord of Olynthus followed by another man. He had a vague memory from his childhood meeting him. But he recalled two old men as lords of the city.

"It looks like it's not going to get any better from here…", he muttered.

Waver studied the two men. The oldest, a small, smart-looking old man. The other one, young and good-looking. Both dressed in extravagant, colorful robes and golden jewellery. Nothing like the warrior-like costumes of the people in Pella. It was with no doubt a city ran by merchants.

"Welcome, my lord". The old nobleman greeted them politely. He turned to the other man by his side. "This is lord Irus, I believe you met his father in the past. Unfortunately, he has passed away, leaving the young lord as the head of his family".

"I am sorry to hear that", said Alexander with honesty. "It is a pleasure to meet you".

"It is an honour to have you here with us, Prince Alexandros", the young man said, lacking as much enthusiasm as the first one.

"It is my honor to experience such a delightful view of the peninsula". Replied Alexander.

"I suppose you are not here only for the view, sir", inquired the old man, straight to the point.

Waver turned to Alexander. He thought it rude of him, but Alexander did not look offended. In fact, he was smiling.

"Correct", Alexander said. "I am here to make some adjustments".

"What kind of… adjustments?" The young lord crossed his arms, skeptical.

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I would never interfere with your political affairs. I'm here to merely instruct you in the new trading routes and taxes designed by my father to maximize our economy and make this commonwealth more beneficial for every kingdom in the empire. I expect to learn one or two things from your vast and prosperous system as well".

The two men looked at each other, slightly hesitant.

"Surely you must be tired, sir. Why don't we discuss this tomorrow after you get some rest from your journey?"

"I appreciate your kindness," thanked him Alexander, and the four men were taken to their respective rooms.

Waver and Ptolemy's rooms where on the east side of the palace, while Hephaestion's was all the way to the west. Alexander was placed in the central part of the palace, close to the noble families' rooms.

"They are trying to keep us separate", observed Ptolemy later that afternoon, once they all gathered at Hephaestion's room.

"Of course they would. They are too precautious," said Alexander, "which only makes them more suspicious. If they haven't done anything wrong, they shouldn't have anything to fear."

"Alright, if they want to separate us, they can have it their way", said Ptolemy. "Hephaestion, come with me. We'll skip the feast and we'll go investigate while everyone is eating."

"B-but…but the feast?" He begun to protest.

"Oh, forgive me, are my plans for saving the kingdom interfering with your dinner?", he replied sarcastically, which Hephaestion found nothing funny.

"I'll go", said Waver, standing between them, "I really don't mind skipping dinner. Besides, I do better at investigating than at social events, anyways."

The two of them turned their backs to each other.

"I don't care who comes with me, as long as we get work done", said Ptolemy. Hephaestion shrugged.

"Wait," joined in Alexander, thoughtful. "It may be too suspicious if two of us are missing. Waver can come with us, and we'll say Ptolemy is not feeling well and that he is staying in his room to rest. Then, after Waver has been seen at the feast, he can sneak out and join you".

Waver nodded in agreement.

So did Ptolemy.

"I'll meet you behind the stables in an hour", he said, and the other three headed out.

Waver, Alexander and Hephaestion entered the great hall in silence. The small crowd chatted discretely, some older men occasionally taking a sip of their wine, but nobody seemed to touch their food yet. Alexander wondered if they were waiting for them.

They joined the two lords at the noblemen's table. Alexander sat across the two lords, and between two young ladies. Hephaestion and Waver found a place at the end of the table.

"What a wonderful feast", lied Alexander, just to be polite.

"I am glad you are enjoying it, my lord", replied the old man.

"Surely you are missing the feasts from Pella. Not as quiet as here, I suppose"

"Not nearly as sophisticated either!" Said the prince, rising his cup.

The old man smiled, rising his cup and cheering.

"I would love to start working right away," continued Alexander, "I should head back home soon. But this is such a great city… I wish I could enjoy the view a little longer. It's been so long since I've been here".

"Do you recall the last time you where here, sir?", asked the younger lord.

"I was just a boy, I believe I was around 10 years old. You daughter was just a little girl". Alexander turned to the girl sitting to his left. "It seems like everything in this city has grown prettier since my last time here".

"I'm not a girl anymore", said the girl, giggling.

"And I'm not a boy", said Alexander.

"Prince Alexandros, I would suggest you take the morning off for a quick tour around the city before you start working", suggested the girl's father.

"I could wish for nothing more". Alexander paused to wipe his mouth, then sighed. "But I am afraid I'll get lost. If only I had the company of a local to show me the wonders that this city has to offer…"

The two men exchanged looks for a moment.

"Well, if it is ok with you, my daughter can walk you through the gardens, and take you around the city," said the older lord.

"I would be delighted!" said the prince, smiling enthusiastically.

He turned to the woman his right, evidently older than him, who looked nothing like her father, but far more beautiful.

"…only if it is the lady's wish to do so…", se smiled gently, begging with his eyes.

"Please, my lord, it will be my pleasure". She smiled back, flattered.

"What is he saying?" Waver watched the prince carefully from the other side of the table, able to listen to only half of the conversation.

"This is good stuff…" Hephaestion mumbled, stuffing his mouth with roasted fish, "really good…"

Waver kicked him under the table.

"What?" Hephaestion shrugged.

"How can you think about food right now?" he whispered.

"Waver, relax. Act normal. That's the best thing to do right now". He said, patting Waver on the shoulder.

"What do you think they are talking about?" Waver asked, his eyes still on Alexander.

Hephaestion gave the prince a quick glance, then looked away, staring at his empty plate in silence. He refilled his plate, ignoring Waver's question.

"You should try this, you don't see seafood this fresh often in Pella, trust me…"

Waver observed Alexander handing over a roll of papyrus to each lord. That was the cue for him to leave the room.

"Shit!" The mage thought out loud. "Has it been an hour already?"

"Go, go, go", whispered Hephaestion, hastily.

"But what should I say?"

Hephaestion put his food down and waited in silence for a second, thinking.

"OH NO!" He suddenly yelled, so loud that it made Waver jump from his seat.

"W-what?"

"Oh, poor Waver! Your stomach, again!?"

"My…what?" Waver looked at him, puzzled.

Hephaestion waved his hands in the air dramatically, pretending to fan away some bad smell.

"It must be the same thing Ptolemy had, poor thing. You should go to bed and rest!"

Everyone at the table turned to Waver. He could feel the blood coming up to his cheeks, turning them a bright shade of red.

"R-right", he played along, getting up from his seat. "Sorry…I- I should go…"

"You'll pay for this _"_ , he whispered at Hephaestion's ear as he was leaving.

He left the room in haste, trying to remember the way to the stables. He took the wrong turn and ended up at one of the palace's temples. A statue of Bellerophon riding Pegasus rose in front of him. It was so massive and detailed that he couldn't help to stop to appreciate it from closer.

A second later, he heard some footsteps approaching.

"Shit!" he whispered to himself, hiding behind one of the massive marvel pillars that served as a leg of the winged horse statue.

Waver watched the person walk away in silence. All he could see was a cloak. He panicked for a brief second, thinking of Zurvan. He gasped, and had to bring a hand to his mouth to hold his breath. The person stopped and turned towards statue. Waver could not recognize the man's face in the dark. He could only see the moonlight reflecting the man's long, silver hair. Waver sighed, somehow relieved. He was certainly not the creature the mage feared. He could not feel that threatening aura coming from him.

The man turned again to continue his way.

Waver waited another moment for him to get far enough and decided to follow the man from a distance.

" _He is definitely up to something",_  he thought as he watched the man hide his hair under his hood.

He followed him out of the palace, across a field of fig trees. Waver hid from one to another, until he suddenly realized he had no idea where he was going to.

The man took a left turn at one corner behind the palace, looking around from time to time to check if someone was coming. Waver decided to wait a few seconds before he continued, just to be safe. He stayed against the stone wall.

"…I need more time…", Waver could the man whispering.

"We have a deal…" A second voice whispered. It sounded so far away that Waver hardly could understand what they were saying.

"I can't do it…" The man sobbed, and the next thing Waver could hear was a muffled scream.

He peeked with one eye, his body still hiding behind the wall. He could see the man lying on the ground, with a spear though his leg.

He immediately turned away, his back tight against the wall.  _"This is dangerous",_  he thought, alarmingly aware that he didn't know his way back into the palace.

The whispers stopped all of a sudden.

Waver rushed back in silence, trying to remember the way. He could hear footsteps far away, so he increased the pace, trying his best not run, scared to make too much noise. He turned right in another corner, and suddenly hit something, falling on his back.

"Damn it, Waver, you scared me", Ptolemy came out of the blue.

"Fuck…" Waver whispered, somehow relieved.

"Where were you? I've been waiting for you"

"I… I got lost…"

"You got lost…", repeated Ptolemy, skeptical. Then pointed at the wooden shack right behind them. "The stables are right here... But you got lost you say…"

"Yes, OK… I can't see well at night".

"Anyway, let's go back inside. We've got work to do."

Waver and Ptolemy went back into the palace in silence. They passed by the great hall, where everyone still enjoyed the feast. Ptolemy signaled Waver with his hand to go in the opposite way. The mage, misunderstanding this, followed him behind, tripping with Ptolemy when he suddenly stopped.

"What are you doing, Waver?" Complained Ptolemy, trying his best to keep his voice down.

"Sorry, I thought you said to come this way", he whispered loudly.

Ptolemy took a deep breath and tried again. " _You_ …this way," he pointed at the room in the right, " _Me_ …. This way", he headed towards the room in the left.

"Right…" Waver nodded and continued into the room, unsure of what he was supposed to look for.

He searched under the bed and found nothing but dust. He looked around. Some sort of desk and a nightstand, but nothing on them. He wondered whose room was this. Maybe one of the Lord's daughters?

He searched under the desk. Nothing.

"This is pointless…", he told himself. "What am I even doing here? I should be working in the lab instead… trying to find a way back home…"

A sudden subtle whistle came though the doorway.

"Let's go" Ptolemy called. Waver followed him right away.

"Did you find anything?" Waver asked as they entered the next room.

"No. You?"

"Nothing"

Waver looked around the room. This was a bigger, fancier room. Golden ornaments and lion fur decorating the room.

"What exactly are we looking for?"

"Anything. Maps, blueprints, letters, any sign…" he said, searching between a bunch of rolls of papyrus, dropping most of them on the floor.

"Careful Ptolemy, we have to leave everything as we found it or they will know someone went through their stuff", Waver said, picking up the rolls. He stopped to look at one that caught his attention.

"What's that?" He asked, carefully studying a document that looked like a map, but with strange signs on it.

Ptolemy titled his head to look at it carefully.

"That, my friend, is evidence" He said, smirking.

"Evidence?"

"This is a blueprint of Pella's palace"

"The palace? But why would they have it here in a bedroom? And what are those marks?"

"I am not sure". Ptolemy brought a hand to his chin, thoughtful. "I guess we can't take it with us, it won't prove anything unless we know what it means… But at least now know we know for sure they are up to something; we just have to figure out what".

They both stared at the map from different angles for a minute in silence, until they were interrupted by the cracking sound of something hitting the floor.

They both turned immediately.

A servant girl was staring at them, eyes wide open, speechless, her hands opened in the air. A ceramic jar crashed into pieces in front of her.

Waver's eyes went from the girl to Ptolemy several times. He turned to the girl and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, he felt a smack on the head.

"You stubborn drunk…" Yelled Ptolemy, catching Waver in his arms before he collapsed on the floor.

"W-what the…" Waver mumbled, half conscient.

"Shh, shh, you are alright, everything is fine".

Ptolemy threw Waver on his shoulder and carried his dead weight, like a sack of potatoes. He then turned to the girl, who was still staring in silence.

"Oh, just ignore him", Ptolemy said, chuckling. "Forgive him, my friend had too much wine at the feast!"

He smiled at the girl, but her face did not move one inch.

Ptolemy turned to Waver

"This is not your room, silly, I told you. Don't worry I'll get you to your bed"

"Wha…?" Waver tried to talk, but Ptolemy hit him once more time.

"Shhh, it's ok, I got you", Ptolemy said. "Sorry for the trouble, miss. The prince would really appreciate if you saved his friend the embarrassment", he begged her with his deep green eyes.

The girl nodded several times in haste.

"Have a good evening". He said, walking out of the room with Waver still passed out over his shoulders. He carried him all the way back into his room and tucked him in bed.

Waver woke up in his bed, still confused. He rubbed his head in pain, a huge bump growing in the back of his head.  _"First Hephaestion, then Ptolemy…"_ He thought, frustrated. He tried to sit up on the bed, but something was pulling the covers.

"You are awake", a familiar voice came from right beside him.

"Alexander?" He turned to the person lying by his side.

"Shh". The prince brought a finger to his lips.

"Now you…What are you doing here?" Waver raised his voice, slightly annoyed. He'd had enough for the day and all he wanted was to rest.

"Shh!" Alexander covered Waver's mouth with one hand. "Lower your voice, she'll hear you". He whispered.

They remained silent for a few seconds, listening to some footsteps walking away.

Waver removed Alexander's hand. " _She?_ Who?"

"Lord Irus' daughter. She's been following me around all night. She even sneaked into my room!".

"Congratulations", said Waver, turning his back at the prince and getting ready to sleep, "…let me know when the wedding is. Now go back to your room, I need to sleep."

"She is like 12 years old!"

"That didn't seem to bother you during dinner", he said, closing his eyes.

"No, Waver, you don't understand. She is acting crazy!"

"Must be so hard for you…", Waver said sarcastically, rolling his eyes, "…being so popular with women".

Alexander smacked him on the head, right where Ptolemy had left a bump a moment ago.

"Hey! It hurts!" Waver turned to him.

"It's not funny…" Alexander was sitting on the bed with a serious look. "Can you just listen to me? Why are you being so selfish?

"Oh, forgive me, prince, for not empathizing with your royal problem. I was too busy getting smacked on the head, twice; risking my life, sneaking in and out of the palace, just to almost get caught and killed by some psychopaths. But I guess you have bigger problems."

Alexander pushed him violently out of the bed. Waver fell on the cold, rock hard floor.

"You can be a real asshole sometimes, Waver"

The fall hurt, but not nearly as much as Alexander's words. It was the first time the prince had insulted him like that. Waver regretted his words right away.

"Clearly my problems are none of your concern", the prince got up and walked towards the door.

"No…No, of course they are", Waver said, still on the floor, resting his hand on his face. "Listen, I didn't mean to be rude…. I just had a long day…"

Alexander stopped right away, as Waver expected. Only he didn't think of what to say next.

The prince stood there for another moment, then sat on a corner of the room.

"Ok, so what happened?" asked Waver.

"Nevermind. I don't feel like talking now", he said, lying down on the floor.

"Hey…" said Waver, lowering his voice, "you… you are not planning to sleep there, are you?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"…you can't sleep there, Alexander, you are prince…" Waver said, feeling suddenly guilty.

"Yes, you see…first of all, I am human, not any different than you…", he said as he turned his back to him, "…except maybe smarter and less of a jerk...", he mumbled, loud enough for Waver to hear.

"Alexander, come on…"

"It's not the first or the last time I'll sleep on the floor, Waver", he said, closing his eyes, using his own arm as a pillow.

"Can you please sleep on the bed like a normal person? I'll find somewhere else to-"

"Good night, Waver…"

The mage got on his feet, annoyed. He walked towards the prince and lied on the floor a few meters away from him.

Alexander turned to him, surprised.

"What are you doing?"

Waver closed his eyes and remained in silence.

"Now you are just being ridiculous…". The prince scoffed, turning his back again.

"So are you…"

They both remained in silence for a moment.

"Let's hope the lord's daughter won't find you lying on the floor here, defenseless. Or god knows what she'll do to you…", said Waver.

They could hear some footsteps out in the corridor, getting closer.

Alexander gulped.

"Fine…", he finally agreed, going into bed and hiding under the sheets.


	11. The Secret Agreement

 

Waver woke up to a sore neck and Alexander yelling at him in a rush.

“Waver. Waver, wake up, let’s go”, the prince whispered, shaking him.

“W-why? What happened?” Waver asked with one eye opened.

“Nothing, no time to explain, let’s get out of here”.

Waver rubbed his eyes. Ptolemy and Hephaestion were also in the room, half dressed already.

“Why are you in such a rush?” Ptolemy asked, yawning, fixing his armor.

“Can you stop yelling?” complained Hephaestion, holding his head and leaning on the walls. “My head hurts…”

“Does it really?” Ptolemy screamed into his ear. Hephaestion crouched on the floor in pain. “Then remember not to have so much wine next time when we are on a mission”

“Come on, let’s go”, said the prince, helping Waver up and fixing his robes.

-

They headed to the stables in silence and got their horses ready themselves.

 “Prince Alexandros”, the old lord called, “Leaving so soon?”

“Y-yes”. Alexander faked a smile. “I am terribly sorry, but I received an urgent letter from my father.”

The lord’s eyebrows raised in curiosity, waiting for further explanation.

“Yes, you see, my… uh… my…” He begun to explain, but no excuse came out of his mouth.

“His sister…”, jumped in Ptolemy

“My sister…” Repeated Alexander

“…she is terrible ill…” Continued Ptolemy

“Terribly ill indeed…” the prince followed

“Oh, how unfortunate!” The lord looked at them with concern.

“Very, very unfortunate…” said Alexander. “Forgive our rudeness, but we are in a rush”.

“By all means, my Lord. Travel safe. I hope we will see you more often around here now?”

“Sure…” he lied.

The old man gave Alexander a hug. “Farewell, _son_ ”

The other three exchanged looks of surprise and disgust. Ptolemy muttered a silent _“what?”,_ to which Waver and Hephaestion shrugged.

They got on their horses and rode a few meters out of the city in silence until they were far away enough.

“OK, now you will have to explain”, demanded Ptolemy

“What was that all about?” asked Waver

“What did you say to the old man? He seemed to hate you and now he hugs you and calls you “son”?” pointed out Hephaestion.

“I don’t want to talk about it…”

“Excuse me?”  Ptolemy stopped his horse in front of him, forcing Alexander to stop. “You committed to this. I committed too. We promised king Phillipe we would find something, and you expect me to go back with just empty hands and no excuse?”

“There is nothing to find!” Yelled Alexander. “Don’t you get it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“This was all a lie that my father created to set me up…”

“What do you mean? But the letters…Your father’s message…?” asked Ptolemy, confused

“Oh, you mean these letters?” The prince threw the rolls of papyrus at him. “You can ask my father to explain his brilliant idea of a joke”

Ptolemy opened the letters; the king’s seal had already been opened. He read it out loud to Waver and Hephaestion.

“Dear Lord…” he skipped the introduction. A smile began to appear on his face as he kept reading. “…I believe the bond between our kingdoms can be strengthen by the union of my son and your daughter in marriage…”

Ptolemy snorted as he read. Waver and Hephaestion’s jaw dropped, chuckling.

“Yes, very funny isn’t it? Let’s see if you’ll laugh in the dungeons when I put you all in there for laughing at your prince”

The three of them pursed their lips to hide their smile, trying to look serious.

“How did you get these back?” asked Waver

“Lord Irus’ daughter. She told me about it last night when…”, the prince paused.

“Yes?” asked Hephaestion, intrigued.

“Last night when we were talking…in my room”

“Talking…”, repeated Hephaestion.

“Yes. Talking… I knew she was acting strange. I’ve seen her several times since we were kids. Never once has she shown interest in me, not until last night”.

“Well… I don’t know…”, said Hephaestion, his arms crossed against his chest, staring at the prince with a serious look. “You where both pretty young when you last saw each other. You have grown to become a handsome young man…”

“Shut up…”, the prince rolled his eyes.

“It’s true”, Hephaestion gave him a serious look.

Alexander stared at him in silence, wondering if his friend meant his words or if he was just messing with him.

“So wait…”, interrupted Waver, “She gave you the letter? Just like that?”

“No, she mentioned it. So, naturally, I went into her father’s room and stole it”

“Naturally…”, said Waver. Alexander did not get the sarcasm in his voice.

 “I was curious to see what my father wrote in the other letter too, so I went into the old lord’s room and stole it as well”

“right…”, Waver sighed.

“But she didn’t seem to be informed about it. She didn’t say anything to me.”

“That’s odd”, observed Waver.

Alexander shrugged.

They all silently begun to move their horses again back in the road.

“Oh well…”, said Ptolemy, “Look at the bright side, at least you’ll have a beautiful wife”

“Oh yeah? Why don’t you marry her then?” Replied the prince, annoyed.

“Me?” Ptolemy scoffed. “Impossible. My heart belongs to one person, and only one. I could never marry anyone else. I don’t care if I end up not marrying her. Not even then.”

Alexander sighed. “I wish I could say the same…”

“Oh?” Hephaestion turned to him, surprised. “I didn’t know our prince was such a romantic”

“I’m not…” Alexander eyes turned suddenly gloomy, “It’s just… I don’t know… I wish I could get to choose who I’ll marry. But I guess for a prince that is too much to ask”

The air became dense for a moment. Everyone was silent.

“Well, you can always have a mistress!” said Hephaestion, trying to cheer him up.

“That’s right…” The prince faked a smile.

“Once you are king you can do whatever you want!” Said Waver. “You can marry someone you love then, you can have more than one wife”.

Although he was trying to cheer him up, Waver’s comment ended up having the opposite effect.

“When I’m king, I will never force my children to marry anybody!”, Alexander yelled.

“That is what you say now… you are young and stupid and idealistic”, teased him Ptolemy.

Alexander completely ignored him, lost in his thoughts.

“He takes me for an idiot…”, he thought out loud, frustrated. “…sending me to a _“mission”,_ arranging my marriage without telling me anything. Who does he think he is?”

“Uh… he is the King…?”, said Hephaestion.

Waver gave him a deadly glare, warning him to keep quiet.

“Sorry, I’ll stop talking”, Hephaestion whispered.

“Alright. Sure, maybe it was unscrupulous of your father to set you up like that. But he must have had his reasons”, observed Ptolemy

“ARE YOU JUSTIFYING HIM, PTOLEMY?!”

“No, not at all. But I mean… he wouldn’t have sent you all the way here with us just for that. And we did find something…Waver and I. Remember I told you this morning? Before you started freaking out about leaving.”

“What did you find?”, asked the prince

“A map of Pella’s palace”, said Waver.

 “So? That doesn’t prove anything…”

“No, but it has some strange marks on it. And don’t you think it’s strange of him to keep it in his room? Wouldn’t it make sense to keep it with all the other maps of the kingdoms?”

Alexander calmed down for a moment to analyze Waver’s words.

“Which lord was this room’s? Was it the room on the west side of the great hall?”, he asked.

Waver shook his head.

“I don’t think it was the old man’s room”, said Hephaestion. “I saw him walking into his room when I woke up in the middle of the night to pee. His room was close to mine, on the east side”.

“And another thing. Look,” Waver pointed at the other letter, “why would your father write the exact same letter for two different lords? He clearly doesn’t intend you to marry the two of them at the same time. If he wants a political alliance, as he says, none of this makes any sense”.

“Maybe he is trying to prove something… trying to test them”, guessed Ptolemy.

“Or maybe he just wants to use me to ensure his power and his allies”, the prince said. The veins on his forehead popping out again in sign of irritation.

“Let’s not make assumptions,” said Hephaestion, trying to calm him down before he unleashed his rage, “the best way to find out is to ask the king directly, and report to him what we’ve found”.

“Oh, trust me, I will have a long talk with him!” scoffed Alexander

 

-

In the palace of Pella king Phillipe waited for the prince and his companions impatiently. His royal guard, Orestys, keeping him company.

The guard handed over a roll of papyrus to the king.

“The prince is on his way here, your highness”

“That was a lot faster than expected”, observed the king. “At least we got the information we needed”.

He opened another letter, shaking his head in disappointment as he read it.

“This is what my men found in Olynthus, your highness”.

“The lord fell for it too easily”, the king said, “He is far too young and powerful for his own good. Since his father died, he’s been trying to take over Olynthus for himself. As soon as I offered him the opportunity to marry his daughter to the prince, he started plotting to kill the old lord, his only competition in power. After marrying her daughter to my son, he would have probably plotted to kill us too”.

“How do you know?”

“One of the conditions for the marriage agreement was to keep it secret, even from their daughters. That is why I sent the same letter to both of them. Alexandros may not like the way I planed this, but it was the only way I could think of to find out who is loyal enough to keep their word. He would protested and complained about it to his friends if I told him in advance. He would have even refused to do it in the first place. He probably hates me right now”.

“Then you intend to keep the engagement?”

“Olynthus is an important city, economically and strategically speaking. And the lord has proven to be loyal. If he accepts my conditions and doubles the funding for our army, I will have to honor my word, and Alexandros will have to marry his daughter”.

Orestys nodded. “Do you think the prince has found out already?”

“Who knows, I would have liked to tell him myself, but news travel fast in this empire…”

“Yet we still don’t know who the traitor within the council is. My men managed to intercept some of the letters, but I couldn’t find any clues leading to his connexion here in Pella”.

Phillipe scratched his beard in silence, as he usually did whenever he was thinking.

His thoughts were interrupted by Attalus, who stormed into the room.

“Your Highness”

“Attalus”

The General turned to the guard and gave him a disgusted look.

“Why is he still here?” he asked the king

“I beg your pardon?”, the king looked at him, offended.

“I came here because I was summoned to a council meeting with the king. I am not discussing important business in front of a simple guard”, complained the general.

Orestys pointed his spear towards him. “It is not for you to decide what the king discusses or not in front of someone”.

“What did you just say?” Attalus drew his sword. “How dare you threaten a General!”

“Enough, Attalus”. The king signaled them to lower their weapons.

Attalus turned to the king, without lowering his sword.

“Why were you discussing such important information with this guard!”

“If my general was here when I needed him, I could be discussing this with him!”

There was a brief silence before the king continued.

“Where on Earth have you been, Attalus? You disappear for days and now you show up with complains… And why are you limping?” He observed, pointing at the man’s injured leg, dripping with blood.

He didn’t reply.

“Careful, or someone younger may take your place”, said Orestys.

“Orestys…” The king frowned at him.

Attalus swung his sword at Orestys. The guard barely blocked the strike with his spear.

“Lower your petty weapon, guard”.

“I take orders only from my king, soldier”.

Attalus swung his sword again, this time harder, making Orestys move back several steps.

“That’s enough! Both of you! ...you are behaving like children”.

“I want him out of this room!” Attalus yelled at the king, “You can’t trust him!”

“Careful, Attalus!” The king got on his feet. “You dare giving orders to your king?”

Attalus stared at him in silence, his nostrils widen, breathing heavily. Both refused to look away.

“No, your Highness…”, finally said Attalus, “I dare to give advice to an old friend…”

The king sat down in silence.

“But we both know you have chosen not to listen to me, long ago…”

The king sighed, rubbing his temples with his fingers back and forth.

“Orestys, leave us”

The man lowered his spear and slowly exited the room without a word.

Attalus observed his every step as he walked away, and spoke only after he completely exited the room.

“I don’t trust him...”

“Attalus, please. You need to let go of the past”

“But why is he back? Why now? After all this time? You were the one who exiled him”.

“I asked him to come. We are at war, Attalus. The deadliest war my Empire has ever seen. I need everybody I can count on. And believe me when I say there is only a handful of those…”

“I don’t know… Ever since he came all these strange things started happening in the palace”.

“You are overthinking, Attalus. You are tired. You should take a rest to recover from that”, the king pointed at the man’s wounded leg.

“It’s nothing, I just fell. I’m old and clumsy”

“And bad tempered”

“Not as much as you”

The king chuckled, Attalus smiled.

“So”, continued the General, “I heard you’ve found a wife for Alexandros?”

The king sat back, resting the back of his head on his chair.

“News sure spread fast in this kingdom… Who told you?”

“Olympias”

Phillipe closed his eyes and took a deep breath, picturing his wife’s angry face.

“I haven’t had the chance to tell her yet. She will be pissed. I’ll talk to her later”.

“I am more worried about the young lord, to be honest. You know how he is when he gets angry…”

A sudden distant sound of stomping in the hallway grew louder and louder towards them as they talked.

“FATHER! WE NEED TO TALK!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> *I do not own Fate series or any of the characters in this story. This is a work of fiction based on the animated series of Fate Zero, and some historical characters.
> 
> So here is what I mean by "interactive story": Since this fanfic is inspired by the Fate anime series (which are based on the visual novel) I thought, why not make a story in which the readers can decide the route it will take? I have written my original ending, an alternative ending, and I will accept suggestions from the readers for a third one.
> 
> Ok, confession time. This all started because I wrote my original ending, and then I thought of all the shippers out there in the fandom that would not be as happy as they would expect. Then I questioned myself if I shipped Waver and Rider in a romantic way, and I am still not sure. I ship MY version of Rider and Waver, maybe. But either way I think is by far the best relationship in the fate series. So I thought, well what about all the people who don't ship them but are a potential audience for this kind of story. And I got to the conclusion that it would be fun to write two endings and people could decide which one they liked best (I still can't decide lol), or even suggest an alternative ending. I have done suggestions before and I am ok with it.
> 
> I have no idea if someone has ever tried this "interactive fanfiction" idea before (if you have, please guide me, Lord, for I have no idea what I'm doing), but I hope it works. I've put a lot of effort in research for context so I hope it's worth and you guys enjoy! And again, I am sorry if I make any grammar mistakes. I'm a non-native speaker of English, which is no excuse, but I am really exited about this fic that I have been planning for so long, and I will try my best to resist the impulse of posting before proofreading 100 times. This is my first story in AGES, and I promised myself I will finish it. So, here it is...


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